Incidence of isolated nodal failure in non-small cell lung cancer patients included in a prospective study of the value of PET-CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolodziejczyk, Milena; Bujko, Krzysztof; Michalski, Wojciech; Kepka, Lucyna

2012-07-01

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) is not recommended in PET-CT-based radiotherapy for NSCLC despite a low level of evidence to support such guidelines. The aim of this investigation is to find out whether omitting ENI is safe. Sixty-seven patients treated within a frame of a previously published prospective trial of the value of PET-CT were included in the analysis. Seventeen (25%) patients received ENI due to higher initial nodal involvement and in the remaining 50 patients (75%) with N0-N1 or single N2 disease ENI was omitted. Isolated nodal failure (INF) was recorded if relapse occurred in the initially uninvolved regional lymph node without previous or simultaneous local recurrence regardless of the status of distant metastases. With a median follow-up of 32 months, the estimated 3-year overall survival was 42%, local progression-free interval was 55%, and distant metastases-free interval was 62%. Three patients developed INF; all had ENI omitted from treatment, giving a final result of three INFs in 50 (6%) patients treated without ENI. In this group of patients, the 3-year cause-specific cumulative incidence of INF was 6.4% (95% confidence interval: 0-17%). The omission of ENI appears to be not as safe as suggested by current recommendations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Node vulnerability of water distribution networks under cascading failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuang, Qing; Zhang, Mingyuan; Yuan, Yongbo

2014-01-01

Water distribution networks (WDNs) are important in modern lifeline system. Its stability and reliability are critical for guaranteeing high living quality and continuous operation of urban functions. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nodal vulnerability of WDNs under cascading failures. Vulnerability is defined to analyze the effects of the consequent failures. A cascading failure is a step-by-step process which is quantitatively investigated by numerical simulation with intentional attack. Monitored pressures in different nodes and flows in different pipes have been used to estimate the network topological structure and the consequences of nodal failure. Based on the connectivity loss of topological structure, the nodal vulnerability has been evaluated. A load variation function is established to record the nodal failure reason and describe the relative differences between the load and the capacity. The proposed method is validated by an illustrative example. The results revealed that the network vulnerability should be evaluated with the consideration of hydraulic analysis and network topology. In the case study, 70.59% of the node failures trigger the cascading failures with different failure processes. It is shown that the cascading failures result in severe consequences in WDNs. - Highlights: • The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nodal vulnerability of water distribution networks under cascading failures. • Monitored pressures and flows have been used to estimate the network topological structure and the consequences of nodal failure. • Based on the connectivity loss of topological structure, the nodal vulnerability has been evaluated. • A load variation function is established to record the failure reason and describe the relative differences between load and capacity. • The results show that 70.59% of the node failures trigger the cascading failures with different failure processes

Comparison between 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Regional Lymph Nodal Staging in Patients with Melanoma: A Review of the Literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirk, Paoletta; Treglia, Giorgio; Salsano, Marco; Basile, Pietro; Giordano, Alessandro; Bonomo, Lorenzo

2011-01-01

Aim. to compare 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for regional lymph nodal staging in patients with melanoma. Methods. We performed a literature review discussing original articles which compared FDG-PET to SLNB for regional lymph nodal staging in patients with melanoma. Results and Conclusions. There is consensus in the literature that FDG-PET cannot replace SLNB for regional lymph nodal staging in patients with melanoma

Retrospective analysis of outcome differences in preoperative concurrent chemoradiation with or without elective nodal irradiation for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

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Hsu, Feng-Ming; Lee, Jang-Ming; Huang, Pei-Ming; Lin, Chia-Chi; Hsu, Chih-Hung; Tsai, Yu-Chieh; Lee, Yung-Chie; Chia-Hsien Cheng, Jason

2011-11-15

To evaluate the efficacy and patterns of failure of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing preoperative concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) followed by radical surgery. We retrospectively studied 118 patients with AJCC Stage II to III esophageal SCC undergoing preoperative CCRT (median, 36 Gy), followed by radical esophagectomy. Of them, 73 patients (62%) had ENI and 45 patients (38%) had no ENI. Patients with ENI received radiotherapy to either supraclavicular (n = 54) or celiac (n = 19) lymphatics. Fifty-six patients (57%) received chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus cisplatin. The 3-year progression-free survival, overall survival, and patterns of failure were analyzed. Distant nodal recurrence was classified into M1a and M1b regions. A separate analysis using matched cases was conducted. The median follow-up was 38 months. There were no differences in pathological complete response rate (p = 0.12), perioperative mortality rate (p = 0.48), or delayed Grade 3 or greater cardiopulmonary toxicities (p = 0.44), between the groups. More patients in the non-ENI group had M1a failure than in the ENI group, with 3-year rates of 11% and 3%, respectively (p = 0.05). However, the 3-year isolated distant nodal (M1a + M1b) failure rates were not different (ENI, 10%; non-ENI, 14%; p = 0.29). In multivariate analysis, pathological nodal status was the only independent prognostic factor associated with overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, p = 0.045). The 3-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 45% and 45%, respectively, in the ENI group, and 52% and 43%, respectively, in the non-ENI group (p = 0.31 and 0.89, respectively). Matched cases analysis did not show a statistical difference in outcomes between the groups. ENI reduced the M1a failure rate but was not associated with improved outcomes in patients undergoing preoperative CCRT for esophageal SCC. Pathological nodal metastasis predicted poor

Retrospective Analysis of Outcome Differences in Preoperative Concurrent Chemoradiation With or Without Elective Nodal Irradiation for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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Hsu, Feng-Ming [Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Cancer Research Center, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lee, Jang-Ming; Huang, Pei-Ming [Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lin, Chia-Chi; Hsu, Chih-Hung; Tsai, Yu-Chieh [Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Cancer Research Center, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lee, Yung-Chie [Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chia-Hsien Cheng, Jason, E-mail: jasoncheng@ntu.edu.tw [Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Cancer Research Center, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

2011-11-15

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and patterns of failure of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing preoperative concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) followed by radical surgery. Methods and Materials: We retrospectively studied 118 patients with AJCC Stage II to III esophageal SCC undergoing preoperative CCRT (median, 36 Gy), followed by radical esophagectomy. Of them, 73 patients (62%) had ENI and 45 patients (38%) had no ENI. Patients with ENI received radiotherapy to either supraclavicular (n = 54) or celiac (n = 19) lymphatics. Fifty-six patients (57%) received chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus cisplatin. The 3-year progression-free survival, overall survival, and patterns of failure were analyzed. Distant nodal recurrence was classified into M1a and M1b regions. A separate analysis using matched cases was conducted. Results: The median follow-up was 38 months. There were no differences in pathological complete response rate (p = 0.12), perioperative mortality rate (p = 0.48), or delayed Grade 3 or greater cardiopulmonary toxicities (p = 0.44), between the groups. More patients in the non-ENI group had M1a failure than in the ENI group, with 3-year rates of 11% and 3%, respectively (p = 0.05). However, the 3-year isolated distant nodal (M1a + M1b) failure rates were not different (ENI, 10%; non-ENI, 14%; p = 0.29). In multivariate analysis, pathological nodal status was the only independent prognostic factor associated with overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, p = 0.045). The 3-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 45% and 45%, respectively, in the ENI group, and 52% and 43%, respectively, in the non-ENI group (p = 0.31 and 0.89, respectively). Matched cases analysis did not show a statistical difference in outcomes between the groups. Conclusions: ENI reduced the M1a failure rate but was not associated with improved outcomes in patients undergoing preoperative CCRT for esophageal

Results of a Phase 2 Study Examining the Effects of Omitting Elective Neck Irradiation to Nodal Levels IV and V{sub b} in Patients With N{sub 0-1} Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

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Chen, Jian-zhou [Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong (China); Le, Quynh-Thu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (United States); Han, Fei; Lu, Li-Xia; Huang, Shao-Min; Lin, Cheng-Guang; Deng, Xiao-Wu; Cui, Nian-Ji [State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Zhao, Chong, E-mail: gzzhaochong@hotmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China)

2013-03-15

Purpose: To evaluate the patterns of nodal failure and toxicity in clinically negative necks of N{sub 0-1} nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) but did not receive elective neck irradiation (ENI) to level IV and V{sub b} nodes. Methods and Materials: We conducted a phase 2 prospective study in N{sub 0-1} NPC patients treated with IMRT. ENI included the retropharyngeal nodes and levels II to V{sub a} but omitted levels IV and V{sub b} in clinically negative necks. Patterns of nodal failure, regional control (RC), and late toxicity were evaluated. Results: Between 2001 and 2008, a total of 212 patients (128 N{sub 0} and 84 N{sub 1}) were enrolled in the study. Seven patients (4 in-field and 3 out-of-field) developed nodal failure. One patient (0.5%) developed nodal failure at level V{sub b}, but no patients developed nodal failure at level IV. The 5-year RC rates of the entire group, N{sub 0} patients and N{sub 1} patients were 95.6%, 98.2%, and 91.3%, respectively. Fifteen patients (7.1%) developed distant metastases. The 5-year distant failure-free survival (DFFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 91.4% and 89.8%, respectively. The rates of grade 2 or greater skin dystrophy, subcutaneous fibrosis and xerostomia were 6.2%, 16.6%, and 17.9%, respectively. Conclusions: The rate of out-of-field nodal failure when omitting ENI to levels IV and V{sub b} in clinically negative necks of patients with N{sub 0-1} NPC was extremely low; therefore, a further phase 3 study is warranted.

Involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) versus elective nodal irradiation (ENI) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of incidence of elective nodal failure (ENF).

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruijian; Yu, Liang; Lin, Sixiang; Wang, Lina; Dong, Xin; Yu, Lingxia; Li, Weiyi; Li, Baosheng

2016-09-21

The use of involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) has generated concern about the increasing incidence of elective nodal failure (ENF) in contrast to elective nodal irradiation (ENI). This meta-analysis aimed to provide more reliable and up-to-date evidence on the incidence of ENF between IFRT and ENI. We searched three databases for eligible studies where locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients received IFRT or ENI. Outcome of interest was the incidence of ENF. The fixed-effects model was used to pool outcomes across the studies. There were 3 RCTs and 3 cohort studies included with low risk of bias. There was no significant difference in incidence of ENF between IFRT and ENI either among RCTs (RR = 1.38, 95 % CI: 0.59-3.25, p = 0.46) or among cohort studies (RR = 0.99, 95 % CI: 0.46-2.10, p = 0.97). There was also no significant difference in incidence of ENF between IFRT and ENI when RCTs and cohort studies were combined (RR = 1.15, 95 % CI: 0.65-2.01, p = 0.64). I 2 of test for heterogeneity was 0 %. This meta-analysis provides more reliable and stable evidence that there is no significant difference in incidence of ENF between IFRT and ENI.

KEK NODAL system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurokawa, S.; Abe, K.; Akiyama, A.; Katoh, T.; Kikutani, E.; Koiso, H.; Kurihara, N.; Oide, K.; Shinomoto, M.

1985-01-01

The KEK NODAL system, which is based on the NODAL devised at the CERN SPS, works on an optical-fiber token ring network of twenty-four minicomputers (Hitachi HIDIC 80's) to control the TRISTAN accelerator complex, now being constructed at KEK. KEK NODAL retains main features of the original NODAL: the interpreting scheme, the multi-computer programming facility, and the data-module concept. In addition, it has the following characteristics: fast execution due to the compiler-interpreter method, a multicomputer file system, a full-screen editing facility, and a dynamic linkage scheme of data modules and NODAL functions. The structure of the KEK NODAL system under PMS, a real-time multitasking operating system of HIDIC 80, is described; the NODAL file system is also explained

Regional nodal relapse in surgically staged Merkel cell carcinoma

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Hoeller, Ulrike; Mueller, Thomas; Schubert, Tina; Budach, Volker; Ghadjar, Pirus [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Radiation Oncology, Berlin (Germany); Brenner, Winfried [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Berlin (Germany); Kiecker, Felix [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Dermatology, Berlin (Germany); Schicke, Bernd [Tumor Center Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Haase, Oliver [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Surgery, Berlin (Germany)

2014-10-08

The nodal relapse pattern of surgically staged Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) with/without elective nodal radiotherapy (RT) was studied in a single institution. A total of 51 patients with MCC, 33 % UICC stage I, 14 % II, 53 % III (4 lymph node metastases of unknown primary) were eligible. All patients had surgical staging: 23 patients sentinel node biopsy (SNB), 22 patients SNB followed by lymphadenectomy (LAD) and 6 patients LAD. In all, 94 % of the primary tumors (PT) were completely resected; 57 % of patients received RT, 51 % of known PT sites, 33 % (8/24 patients) regional RT to snN0 nodes and 68 % (17/27 patients) to pN+ nodes, mean reference dose 51.5 and 50 Gy, respectively. Mean follow-up was 6 years (range 2-14 years). A total of 22 % (11/51) patients developed regional relapses (RR); the 5-year RR rate was 27 %. In snN0 sites (stage I/II), relapse occurred in 5 of 14 nonirradiated vs. none of 8 irradiated sites (p = 0.054), resulting in a 5-year RR rate of 33 % versus 0 % (p = 0.16). The crude RR rate was lower in stage I (12 %, 2/17 patients) than for stage II (43 %, 3/7 patients). In stage III (pN+), RR appeared to be less frequent in irradiated sites (18 %, 3/14 patients) compared with nonirradiated sites (33 %, 3/10 patients, p = 0.45) with 5-year RR rates of 23 % vs. 34 %, respectively. Our data suggest that adjuvant nodal RT plays a major role even if the sentinel nodes were negative. Adjuvant RT of the lymph nodes in patients with stage IIa tumors and RT after LAD in stage III tumors is proposed and should be evaluated prospectively. (orig.) [German] Untersucht wurde das regionaere Rezidivmuster des Merkelzell-Karzinoms (MCC) nach chirurgischem Staging und stadienadaptierter Therapie. Eingeschlossen wurden 51 Patienten mit lokalisiertem MCC: 33 % hatten UICC-Stadium-I-, 14 % -II-, 53 % -III-Tumoren (davon 4 Lymphknotenmetastasen eines unbekannten Primaertumors). Alle Patienten erhielten ein chirurgisches Staging: 23 Waechterlymphknotenbiopsien (SNB

KEK NODAL user's guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiyama, Atsuyoshi; Katoh, Tadahiko; Kikutani, Eiji; Koiso, Haruyo; Kurokawa, Shin-ichi; Oide, Katsunobu.

1984-06-01

NODAL is an interpreter language for accelerator control developed at CERN SPS and has been used successfully since 1974. At present NODAL or NODAL-like languages are used at DESY PETRA and CERN CPS. At KEK, we have also adopted NODAL for the control of TRISTAN, a 30 GeV x 30 GeV electron-positron colliding beam facility. The KEK version of NODAL has the following improvements on the SPS NODAL: (1) the fast execution speed due to the compiler-interpreter scheme, and (2) the full-screen editing facility. This manual explains how to use the KEK NODAL. It is based on the manual of the SPS NODAL, THE NODAL SYSTEM FOR THE SPS, by M.C. Crowley-Milling and G.C. Shering, CERN 78-07. We have made some additions and modifications to make the manual more appropriate for the KEK NODAL system, paying attention to retaining the good features of the original SPS NODAL manual. We acknowledge Professor M.C. Crowley-Milling, Dr G.C. Shering and CERN for their kind permission for this modification. (author)

Phase I Trial of Pelvic Nodal Dose Escalation With Hypofractionated IMRT for High-Risk Prostate Cancer

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Adkison, Jarrod B.; McHaffie, Derek R.; Bentzen, Soren M.; Patel, Rakesh R.; Khuntia, Deepak [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States); Petereit, Daniel G. [Department of Radiation Oncology, John T. Vucurevich Regional Cancer Care Institute, Rapid City Regional Hospital, Rapid City, SD (United States); Hong, Theodore S.; Tome, Wolfgang [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States); Ritter, Mark A., E-mail: ritter@humonc.wisc.edu [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States)

2012-01-01

Purpose: Toxicity concerns have limited pelvic nodal prescriptions to doses that may be suboptimal for controlling microscopic disease. In a prospective trial, we tested whether image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can safely deliver escalated nodal doses while treating the prostate with hypofractionated radiotherapy in 5 Vulgar-Fraction-One-Half weeks. Methods and Materials: Pelvic nodal and prostatic image-guided IMRT was delivered to 53 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) high-risk patients to a nodal dose of 56 Gy in 2-Gy fractions with concomitant treatment of the prostate to 70 Gy in 28 fractions of 2.5 Gy, and 50 of 53 patients received androgen deprivation for a median duration of 12 months. Results: The median follow-up time was 25.4 months (range, 4.2-57.2). No early Grade 3 Radiation Therapy Oncology Group or Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.3.0 genitourinary (GU) or gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were seen. The cumulative actuarial incidence of Grade 2 early GU toxicity (primarily alpha blocker initiation) was 38%. The rate was 32% for Grade 2 early GI toxicity. None of the dose-volume descriptors correlated with GU toxicity, and only the volume of bowel receiving {>=}30 Gy correlated with early GI toxicity (p = 0.029). Maximum late Grades 1, 2, and 3 GU toxicities were seen in 30%, 25%, and 2% of patients, respectively. Maximum late Grades 1 and 2 GI toxicities were seen in 30% and 8% (rectal bleeding requiring cautery) of patients, respectively. The estimated 3-year biochemical control (nadir + 2) was 81.2 {+-} 6.6%. No patient manifested pelvic nodal failure, whereas 2 experienced paraaortic nodal failure outside the field. The six other clinical failures were distant only. Conclusions: Pelvic IMRT nodal dose escalation to 56 Gy was delivered concurrently with 70 Gy of hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy in a convenient, resource-efficient, and well-tolerated 28-fraction schedule. Pelvic nodal dose

Comparison of treatment outcomes between involved-field and elective nodal irradiation in limited-stage small cell lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Tae-Jin; Kim, Hak-Jae; Wu, Hong-Gyun; Heo, Dae-Seog; Kim, Young-Whan; Lee, Se-Hoon

2012-01-01

The present study was performed to assess the usefulness of involved-field irradiation and the impact of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-based staging on treatment outcomes in limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Eighty patients who received definitive chemoradiotherapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty patients were treated with involved-field irradiation, which means that the radiotherapy portal includes only clinically identifiable tumors. The other 30 patients were irradiated with a comprehensive portal, including uninvolved mediastinal and/or supraclavicular lymph nodes, so-called elective nodal irradiation. No significant difference was seen in clinical factors between the two groups. At a median follow-up of 27 months (range, 5-75 months), no significant differences were observed in 3 year overall survival (44.6 vs. 54.1%, P=0.220) and 3 year progression-free survival (24.4 vs. 42.8%, P=0.133) between the involved-field irradiation group and the elective nodal irradiation group, respectively. For patients who did not undergo positron emission tomography scans, 3 year overall survival (29.3 vs. 56.3%, P=0.022) and 3 year progression-free survival (11.0 vs. 50.0%, P=0.040) were significantly longer in the elective nodal irradiation group. Crude incidences of isolated nodal failure were 6.0% in the involved-field irradiation group and 0% in the elective nodal irradiation group, respectively. All isolated nodal failures were developed in patients who had not undergone positron emission tomography scans in their initial work-ups. If patients did not undergo positron emission tomography-based staging, the omission of elective nodal irradiation resulted in impaired survival outcomes and raised the risk of isolated nodal failure. Therefore, involved-field irradiation for limited-stage small cell lung cancer might be reasonable only with positron emission tomography scan implementation. (author)

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus.

Science.gov (United States)

Onozawa, Masakatsu; Nihei, Keiji; Ishikura, Satoshi; Minashi, Keiko; Yano, Tomonori; Muto, Manabu; Ohtsu, Atsushi; Ogino, Takashi

2009-08-01

There are some reports indicating that prophylactic three-field lymph node dissection for esophageal cancer can lead to improved survival. But the benefit of ENI in CRT for thoracic esophageal cancer remains controversial. The purpose of the present study is to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for thoracic esophageal cancer. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the thoracic esophagus newly diagnosed between February 1999 and April 2001 in our institution was recruited from our database. Definitive chemoradiotherapy consisted of two cycles of cisplatin/5FU repeated every 5 weeks, with concurrent radiation therapy of 60 Gy in 30 fractions. Up to 40 Gy radiation therapy was delivered to the cervical, periesophageal, mediastinal and perigastric lymph nodes as ENI. One hundred two patients were included in this analysis, and their characteristics were as follows: median age, 65 years; male/female, 85/17; T1/T2/T3/T4, 16/11/61/14; N0/N1, 48/54; M0/M1, 84/18. The median follow-up period for the surviving patients was 41 months. Sixty patients achieved complete response (CR). After achieving CR, only one (1.0%; 95% CI, 0-5.3%) patient experienced elective nodal failure without any other site of recurrence. In CRT for esophageal SCC, ENI is effective for preventing regional nodal failure. Further evaluation of whether ENI leads to an improved overall survival is needed.

Cancer of Oral Cavity Abutting the Mandible; Predictors of Loco-regional Failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saber, T.K.; Hussein, H.A.; Mebeed, A.H.; El Sebai, H.I.; Sami, I.; Farahat, I.G.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the causes of Loco-regional failure in 51 patients with tumors of the oral cavity abutting the mandible. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study (27 patients were operated upon in the retrospective section and 24 patients in the prospective section of the study) was done in the department of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, from January 2003 to January 2008. Fifty-one patients, with oral cavity cancerous lesions abutting the mandible, were operated upon by segmental mandibulectomy en-bloc with primary tumor resection in addition to modified radical or selective neck dissection according to the status of the cervical lymph nodes. Results: During a median follow-up of 2 years, 29 patients (56.8%) had local recurrences, the incidence of nodal recurrence after neck dissection was detected in 4 patients (7.8%). On multivariate analysis, tumor depth, tumor grade, oral mucosa, soft tissue and bone surgical margins in addition to metastatic lymphadenopathy were independent prognostic factors of loco-regional failure and disease-free survival. Conclusion: Oral cavity cancers abutting the mandible should be treated with great caution by a multidisciplinary oncology team (resection and reconstruction surgeons) as it has a very aggressive biologic behavior. Negative intraoperative pathological margins should be attempted since this is the critical point for patients with cancers abutting the mandible? Further research on the biologic margin and genetic study is required

Development of nodal interface conditions for a PN approximation nodal model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feiz, M.

1993-01-01

A relation was developed for approximating higher order odd-moments from lower order odd-moments at the nodal interfaces of a Legendre polynomial nodal model. Two sample problems were tested using different order P N expansions in adjacent nodes. The developed relation proved to be adequate and matched the nodal interface flux accurately. The development allows the use of different order expansions in adjacent nodes, and will be used in a hybrid diffusion-transport nodal model. (author)

Patterns of failure after involved field radiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Duo-Jie; Li, Hong-Wei; He, Bin; Wang, Geng-Ming; Cai, Han-Fei; Duan, Shi-Miao; Liu, Jing-Jing; Zhang, Ya-Jun; Cui, Zhen; Jiang, Hao

2016-01-01

To retrospectively analyze the patterns of failure and the treatment effects of involved-field irradiation (IFI) on patients treated with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to determine whether IFI is practicable in these patients. A total of 79 patients with locally advanced ESCC underwent three dimensional conformal (3D)CRT) or intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using IFI or elective nodal irradiation (ENI) according to the target volume. The patterns of failure were defined as local/regional, in-field, out)of)field regional lymph node (LN) and distant failure. With a median follow)up of 32.0 months, failures were observed in 66 (83.6%) patients. The cumulative incidence of local/regional failure (55.8 vs 52.8%) and in)field regional lymph node failure (25.6 vs 19.4%) showed no statistically significant difference between the IFI and the ENI group (p=0.526 and 0.215, respectively). Out)of)field nodal relapse rate of only 7.0% was seen in the IFI group. Three)year survival rates for the ENI and IFI group were 22.2 and 18.6%, respectively (p=0.240), and 3)year distant metastasis rates were 27.8 and 32.6%, respectively (p=0.180). The lung V10, V20, V30 and mean lung dose of the ENI group were greater than those of the IFI group, while the mean lung dose and V10 had statistically significant difference. The patterns of failure and survival rates in the IFI group were similar as in the ENI group; the regional recurrence and distant metastasis are the main cause of treatment failure. IFI is feasible for locally advanced ESCC. Further investigation is needed to increase local control and decrease distant metastasis in these patients.

A comparison of two nodal codes : Advanced nodal code (ANC) and analytic function expansion nodal (AFEN) code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, S.K.; Hah, C.J.; Lee, H.C.; Kim, Y.H.; Cho, N.Z.

1996-01-01

Modern nodal methods usually employs the transverse integration technique in order to reduce a multi-dimensional diffusion equation to one-dimensional diffusion equations. The use of the transverse integration technique requires two major approximations such as a transverse leakage approximation and a one-dimensional flux approximation. Both the transverse leakage and the one-dimensional flux are approximated by polynomials. ANC (Advanced Nodal Code) developed by Westinghouse employs a modern nodal expansion method for the flux calculation, the equivalence theory for the homogenization error reduction and a group theory for pin power recovery. Unlike the conventional modern nodal methods, AFEN (Analytic Function Expansion Nodal) method expands homogeneous flux distributions within a node into non-separable analytic basis functions, which eliminate two major approximations of the modern nodal methods. A comparison study of AFEN with ANC has been performed to see the applicability of AFEN to commercial PWR and different types of reactors such as MOX fueled reactor. The qualification comparison results demonstrate that AFEN methodology is accurate enough to apply for commercial PWR analysis. The results show that AFEN provides very accurate results (core multiplication factor and assembly power distribution) for cores that exhibit strong flux gradients as in a MOX loaded core. (author)

Maternal Nodal inversely affects NODAL and STOX1 expression in the fetal placenta

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Hari Krishna Thulluru

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Nodal, a secreted signaling protein from the TGFβ-super family plays a vital role during early embryonic development. Recently, it was found that maternal decidua-specific Nodal knockout mice show intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR and preterm birth. As the chromosomal location of NODAL is in the same linkage area as the susceptibility gene STOX1, associated with the familial form of early-onset, IUGR-complicated pre-eclampsia, their potential maternal-fetal interaction was investigated. Pre-eclamptic mothers with children who carried the STOX1 susceptibility allele themselves all carried the NODAL H165R SNP, which causes a 50% reduced activity. Surprisingly, in decidua Nodal knockout mice the fetal placenta showed up-regulation of STOX1 and NODAL expression. Conditioned media of human first trimester decidua and a human endometrial stromal cell line (T-HESC treated with siRNAs against NODAL or carrying the H165R SNP were also able to induce NODAL and STOX1 expression when added to SGHPL-5 first trimester extravillous trophoblast cells. Finally, a human TGFß-BMP-Signaling-Pathway PCR-Array on decidua and the T-HESC cell line with Nodal knockdown revealed upregulation of Activin-A, which was confirmed in conditioned media by ELISA. We show that maternal decidua Nodal knockdown gives upregulation of NODAL and STOX1 mRNA expression in fetal extravillous trophoblast cells, potentially via upregulation of Activin-A in the maternal decidua. As both Activin-A and Nodal have been implicated in pre-eclampsia, being increased in serum of pre-eclamptic women and upregulated in pre-eclamptic placentas respectively, this interaction at the maternal-fetal interface might play a substantial role in the development of pre-eclampsia.

Mapping of nodal disease in locally advanced prostate cancer: Rethinking the clinical target volume for pelvic nodal irradiation based on vascular rather than bony anatomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shih, Helen A.; Harisinghani, Mukesh; Zietman, Anthony L.; Wolfgang, John A.; Saksena, Mansi; Weissleder, Ralph

2005-01-01

Purpose: Toxicity from pelvic irradiation could be reduced if fields were limited to likely areas of nodal involvement rather than using the standard 'four-field box.' We employed a novel magnetic resonance lymphangiographic technique to highlight the likely sites of occult nodal metastasis from prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Eighteen prostate cancer patients with pathologically confirmed node-positive disease had a total of 69 pathologic nodes identifiable by lymphotropic nanoparticle-enhanced MRI and semiquantitative nodal analysis. Fourteen of these nodes were in the para-aortic region, and 55 were in the pelvis. The position of each of these malignant nodes was mapped to a common template based on its relation to skeletal or vascular anatomy. Results: Relative to skeletal anatomy, nodes covered a diffuse volume from the mid lumbar spine to the superior pubic ramus and along the sacrum and pelvic side walls. In contrast, the nodal metastases mapped much more tightly relative to the large pelvic vessels. A proposed pelvic clinical target volume to encompass the region at greatest risk of containing occult nodal metastases would include a 2.0-cm radial expansion volume around the distal common iliac and proximal external and internal iliac vessels that would encompass 94.5% of the pelvic nodes at risk as defined by our node-positive prostate cancer patient cohort. Conclusions: Nodal metastases from prostate cancer are largely localized along the major pelvic vasculature. Defining nodal radiation treatment portals based on vascular rather than bony anatomy may allow for a significant decrease in normal pelvic tissue irradiation and its associated toxicities

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onozawa, Masakatsu; Nihei, Keiji; Ishikura, Satoshi; Minashi, Keiko; Yano, Tomonori; Muto, Manabu; Ohtsu, Atsushi; Ogino, Takashi

2009-01-01

Background and purpose: There are some reports indicating that prophylactic three-field lymph node dissection for esophageal cancer can lead to improved survival. But the benefit of ENI in CRT for thoracic esophageal cancer remains controversial. The purpose of the present study is to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for thoracic esophageal cancer. Materials and methods: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the thoracic esophagus newly diagnosed between February 1999 and April 2001 in our institution was recruited from our database. Definitive chemoradiotherapy consisted of two cycles of cisplatin/5FU repeated every 5 weeks, with concurrent radiation therapy of 60 Gy in 30 fractions. Up to 40 Gy radiation therapy was delivered to the cervical, periesophageal, mediastinal and perigastric lymph nodes as ENI. Results: One hundred two patients were included in this analysis, and their characteristics were as follows: median age, 65 years; male/female, 85/17; T1/T2/T3/T4, 16/11/61/14; N0/N1, 48/54; M0/M1, 84/18. The median follow-up period for the surviving patients was 41 months. Sixty patients achieved complete response (CR). After achieving CR, only one (1.0%; 95% CI, 0-5.3%) patient experienced elective nodal failure without any other site of recurrence. Conclusion: In CRT for esophageal SCC, ENI is effective for preventing regional nodal failure. Further evaluation of whether ENI leads to an improved overall survival is needed.

Evaluation of the use of nodal methods for MTR neutronic analysis

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Reitsma, F.; Mueller, E.Z.

1997-08-01

Although modern nodal methods are used extensively in the nuclear power industry, their use for research reactor analysis has been very limited. The suitability of nodal methods for material testing reactor analysis is investigated with the emphasis on the modelling of the core region (fuel assemblies). The nodal approach`s performance is compared with that of the traditional finite-difference fine mesh approach. The advantages of using nodal methods coupled with integrated cross section generation systems are highlighted, especially with respect to data preparation, simplicity of use and the possibility of performing a great variety of reactor calculations subject to strict time limitations such as are required for the RERTR program.

Experimental discovery of nodal chains

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Yan, Qinghui; Liu, Rongjuan; Yan, Zhongbo; Liu, Boyuan; Chen, Hongsheng; Wang, Zhong; Lu, Ling

2018-05-01

Three-dimensional Weyl and Dirac nodal points1 have attracted widespread interest across multiple disciplines and in many platforms but allow for few structural variations. In contrast, nodal lines2-4 can have numerous topological configurations in momentum space, forming nodal rings5-9, nodal chains10-15, nodal links16-20 and nodal knots21,22. However, nodal lines are much less explored because of the lack of an ideal experimental realization23-25. For example, in condensed-matter systems, nodal lines are often fragile to spin-orbit coupling, located away from the Fermi level, coexist with energy-degenerate trivial bands or have a degeneracy line that disperses strongly in energy. Here, overcoming all these difficulties, we theoretically predict and experimentally observe nodal chains in a metallic-mesh photonic crystal having frequency-isolated linear band-touching rings chained across the entire Brillouin zone. These nodal chains are protected by mirror symmetry and have a frequency variation of less than 1%. We use angle-resolved transmission measurements to probe the projected bulk dispersion and perform Fourier-transformed field scans to map out the dispersion of the drumhead surface state. Our results establish an ideal nodal-line material for further study of topological line degeneracies with non-trivial connectivity and consequent wave dynamics that are richer than those in Weyl and Dirac materials.

NODAL interpreter for CP/M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oide, Katsunobu.

1982-11-01

A NODAL interpreter which works under CP/M operating system is made for microcomputers. This interpreter language named NODAL-80 has a similar structure to the NODAL of SPS, but its commands, variables, and expressions are modified to increase the flexibility of programming. NODAL-80 also uses a simple intermediate code to make the execution speed fast without imposing any restriction on the dynamic feature of NODAL language. (author)

Flow-based market coupling. Stepping stone towards nodal pricing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Welle, A.J.

2012-07-01

For achieving one internal energy market for electricity by 2014, market coupling is deployed to integrate national markets into regional markets and ultimately one European electricity market. The extent to which markets can be coupled depends on the available transmission capacities between countries. Since interconnections are congested from time to time, congestion management methods are deployed to divide the scarce available transmission capacities over market participants. For further optimization of the use of available transmission capacities while maintaining current security of supply levels, flow-based market coupling (FBMC) will be implemented in the CWE region by 2013. Although this is an important step forward, important hurdles for efficient congestion management remain. Hence, flow based market coupling is compared to nodal pricing, which is often considered as the most optimal solution from theoretical perspective. In the context of decarbonised power systems it is concluded that advantages of nodal pricing are likely to exceed its disadvantages, warranting further development of FBMC in the direction of nodal pricing.

The value of regional nodal radiotherapy (dose/volume) in the treatment of unresectable non-small cell lung cancer: an RTOG analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emami, Bahman; Scott, Charles; Byhardt, Roger; Graham, Mary V.; Andras, E. James; John, Madhu; Herskovic, Arnold; Urtasun, Raul C.; Asbell, Sucha O.; Perez, Carlos A.; Cox, James

1996-01-01

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether or not the traditional practice of including all thoracic regional nodal areas in the radiotherapy volume in the treatment of unresectable lung cancer is of any therapeutic benefit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,705 patients from four large RTOG trials (78-11, 79-17, 83-11, 84-07) were analyzed for this purpose. Each of these trials had data on dose delivered to the nodal regions and assessment of nodal borders. The nodes were separated into mediastinal, contralateral hilar, ipsilateral hilar, and supraclavicular. Each node site was assessed for progression, defined as in-field or out-of-field, at the node site. In patients with adequate nodal field borders, the results were also analyzed according to the dose delivered. RESULTS: The majority (74%) of patients were between the age of 55 to 75. Forty-six percent of patients had KPS of 60 to 80 and 52% KPS of 90 to 100. Sixty percent of patients had a weight loss of less than 5%, and 40% had a weight loss of over 5% six months prior to diagnosis. Major variations from protocol in defining field borders (unacceptable field borders) were lowest for ipsilateral hilum ((42(727))) and the highest for mediastinal borders ((158(743))). Three groups had statistically significant differences in outcome (progression) between the per protocol and the unacceptable per protocol: ipsilateral hilar nodes (field borders), 14% versus 26% (p = 0.03); dose to mediastinal nodes in CALGB eligible patients, 9% versus 19% (p = 0.02); and ipsilateral hilar nodes (field borders) for high-dose patients assigned to greater than or equal to 69.6 Gy, 14% versus 31% (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that inclusion of the ipsilateral hilar and mediastinal nodes affect outcome in unresectable non-small cell lung cancer. Exclusion of the other thoracic lymph node regions did not affect outcome in this study. These findings have important implications for combined modality therapy and three

Delineating sites of failure following post-prostatectomy radiation treatment using 68Ga-PSMA-PET.

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Byrne, Keelan; Eade, Thomas; Kneebone, Andrew; Guo, Linxin; Hsiao, Ed; Schembri, Geoff; Kwong, Carolyn; Hunter, Julia; Emmett, Louise; Hruby, George

2018-02-01

To identify sites of failure with 68 Ga-PSMA-PET (PSMA-PET) imaging in patients who have Biochemical Failure (BF) following post-prostatectomy radiotherapy. Between June 2006 and January 2016, 409 men received post prostatectomy intensity modulated radiation treatment (IMRT) with protocolised planning. 310 patients received radiation treatment (RT) to the Prostate Fossa (PF) alone and 99 patients received RT to PF and pelvic lymphatics (PF + LN) usually in combination with androgen deprivation (AD) therapy. Any failure not detected on conventional imaging was delineated with PSMA-PET scanning. Sites of failure were characterised as in-field (PF ± LN), or out of field (nodal alone, distant metastatic alone (visceral or bone) or multi-site failure). Nodal failure was further divided into pelvic failure and/or distant failure. 119 men developed BF, defined as a PSA rise of >0.2 or greater, above post-RT nadir. Freedom from BF was 71% in the PF group and 70% in the PF + LN group, with median follow up of 52 and 44 months respectively. AD was used concomitantly in 13% of the PF group and 92% of the PF + LN group. 81 patients with BF (68%) had PSMA-PET imaging performed as per study intent, 67 (80%) of whom had PSMA avid disease identified. PSMA-PET delineated in-field failure occurred in 2/50 (4%) of the PF group and 1/17 (6%) in the PF + LN group. Nodal failure alone was 33/50 (66%) for the PF group vs 7/17 (41%) for the PF + LN group. For the nodal only failure patients, 18/33 (55%) had pelvic-only nodal failure in the PF group compared to 1/7 (14%) in the PF + LN group (p = 0.03). 16 (32%) of the PSMA avid failures in the PF group would have been encompassed by standard pelvic lymphatic radiotherapy volumes. Post-prostatectomy radiation treatment resulted in excellent in-field control rates. Isolated pelvic nodal failure was rare in those receiving radiotherapy to the prostatic fossa and pelvic nodes but accounted for one third of

A nodalization study of steam separator in real time simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horugshyang, Lein; Luh, R.T.J.; Zen-Yow, Wang

1999-01-01

The motive of this paper is to investigate the influence of steam separator nodalization on reactor thermohydraulics in terms of stability and level response. Three different nodalizations of steam separator are studied by using THEATRE and REMARK Code in a BWR simulator. The first nodalization is the traditional one with two nodes for steam separator. In this nodalization, the steam separation is modeled in the outer node, i.e., upper downcomer. Separated steam enters the Steen dome node and the liquid goes to the feedwater node. The second nodalization is similar to the first one with the steam separation modeled in the inner node. There is one additional junction connecting steam dome node and the inner node. The liquid fallback junction connects the inner node and feedwater node. The third nodalization is a combination of the former two with an integrated node for steam separator. Boundary conditions in this study are provided by a simplified feedwater and main steam driver. For comparison purpose, three tests including full power steady state initialisation, recirculation pumps runback and reactor scram are conducted. Major parameters such as reactor pressure, reactor level, void fractions, neutronic power and junction flows are recorded for analysis. Test results clearly show that the first nodalization is stable for steady state initialisation. However it has too responsive level performance in core flow reduction transients. The second nodalization is the closest representation of real plant structure, but not the performance. Test results show that an instability occurs in the separator region for both steady state initialisation and transients. This instability is caused by an unbalanced momentum in the dual loop configuration. The magnitude of the oscillation reduces as the power decreases. No superiority to the other nodalizations is shown in the test results. The third nodalization shows both stability and responsiveness in the tests. (author)

Bladder Cancer Patterns of Pelvic Failure: Implications for Adjuvant Radiation Therapy

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Baumann, Brian C. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Guzzo, Thomas J. [Department of Urology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); He Jiwei [Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Vaughn, David J.; Keefe, Stephen M. [Department of Medical Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Vapiwala, Neha; Deville, Curtiland; Bekelman, Justin E.; Tucker, Kai [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Hwang, Wei-Ting [Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Malkowicz, S. Bruce [Department of Urology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Christodouleas, John P., E-mail: christojo@uphs.upenn.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States)

2013-02-01

Purpose: Local-regional failures (LFs) after cystectomy with or without chemotherapy are common in locally advanced disease. Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) could reduce LFs, but toxicity has discouraged its use. Modern RT techniques with improved normal tissue sparing have rekindled interest but require knowledge of pelvic failure patterns to design treatment volumes. Methods and Materials: Five-year LF rates after radical cystectomy plus pelvic node dissection with or without chemotherapy were determined for 8 pelvic sites among 442 urothelial bladder carcinoma patients. The impact of pathologic stage, margin status, nodal involvement, and extent of node dissection on failure patterns was assessed using competing risk analysis. We calculated the percentage of patients whose sites of LF would have been completely encompassed within various hypothetical clinical target volumes (CTVs) for postoperative radiation. Results: Compared with stage {<=}pT2, stage {>=}pT3 patients had higher 5-year LF rates in virtually all pelvic sites. Among stage {>=}pT3 patients, margin status significantly altered the failure pattern whereas extent of node dissection and nodal positivity did not. In stage {>=}pT3 patients with negative margins, failure occurred predominantly in the iliac/obturator nodes and uncommonly in the cystectomy bed and/or presacral nodes. Of these patients in whom failure subsequently occurred, 76% would have had all LF sites encompassed within CTVs covering only the iliac/obturator nodes. In stage {>=}pT3 with positive margins, cystectomy bed and/or presacral nodal failures increased significantly. Only 57% of such patients had all LF sites within CTVs limited to the iliac/obturator nodes, but including the cystectomy bed and presacral nodes in the CTV when margins were positive increased the percentage of LFs encompassed to 91%. Conclusions: Patterns of failure within the pelvis are summarized to facilitate design of adjuvant RT protocols. These data suggest

Early clinical esophageal adenocarcinoma (cT1): Utility of CT in regional nodal metastasis detection and can the clinical accuracy be improved?

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Betancourt Cuellar, Sonia L., E-mail: slbetancourt@mdanderson.org; Sabloff, Bradley, E-mail: bsabloff@mdanderson.org; Carter, Brett W., E-mail: bcarter2@mdanderson.org; Benveniste, Marcelo F., E-mail: mfbenveniste@mdanderson.org; Correa, Arlene M., E-mail: amcorrea@mdanderson.org; Maru, Dipen M., E-mail: dmaru@mdanderson.org; Ajani, Jaffer A., E-mail: jajani@mdanderson.org; Erasmus, Jeremy J., E-mail: jerasmus@mdanderson.org; Hofstetter, Wayne L., E-mail: whofstetter@mdanderson.org

2017-03-15

Introduction: Treatment of early esophageal cancer depends on the extent of the primary tumor and presence of regional lymph node metastasis.(RNM). Short axis diameter >10 mm is typically used to detect RNM. However, clinical determination of RNM is inaccurate and can result in inappropriate treatment. Purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of a single linear measurement (short axis > 10 mm) of regional nodes on CT in predicting nodal metastasis, in patients with early esophageal cancer and whether using a mean diameter value (short axis + long axis/2) as well as nodal shape improves cN designation. Methods: CTs of 49 patients with cT1 adenocarcinoma treated with surgical resection alone were reviewed retrospectively. Regional nodes were considered positive for malignancy when round or ovoid and mean size >5 mm adjacent to the primary tumor and >7 mm when not adjacent. Results were compared with pN status after esophagectomy. Results: 18/49 patients had pN+ at resection. Using a single short axis diameter >10 mm on CT, nodal metastasis (cN) was positive in 7/49. Only 1 of these patients was pN+ at resection (sensitivity 5%, specificity 80%, accuracy 53%). Using mean size and morphologic criteria, cN was positive in 28/49. 11 of these patients were pN+ at resection (sensitivity 61%, specificity 45%, accuracy 51%). EUS with limited FNA of regional nodes resulted in 16/49 patients with pN+ being inappropriately designated as cN0. Conclusions: Evaluation of size, shape and location of regional lymph nodes on CT improves the sensitivity of cN determination compared with a short axis measurement alone in patients with cT1 esophageal cancer, although clinical utility is limited.

Recurrence in Region of Spared Parotid Gland After Definitive Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannon, Donald M.; Lee, Nancy Y.

2008-01-01

Purpose: To discuss the implications of three examples of periparotid recurrence after definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods and Materials: We present 3 patients with HNC who underwent definitive IMRT with concurrent chemotherapy and later had treatment failure in or near a spared parotid gland. Two patients had bilateral multilevel nodal disease, and all had Level II nodal disease ipsilateral to the site of recurrence. The patients were treated using dose-painting IMRT with a dose of 70 Gy to the gross tumor volume and 59.4 Gy or 54 Gy to the high-risk or low-risk clinical tumor volume, respectively. The parotid glands were spared bilaterally. The patients had not undergone any surgical treatment for HNC before radiotherapy. Results: All patients had treatment failure in the region of a spared parotid gland. Failure in the 2 patients with bilateral multilevel nodal involvement occurred in the periparotid lymph nodes. The third patient developed a dermal metastasis near the tail of a spared parotid gland. On pretreatment imaging, the 2 patients with nodal failure had small nonspecific periparotid nodules that showed no hypermetabolic activity on positron emission tomography. Conclusion: For HNC patients receiving definitive IMRT, nonspecific positron emission tomography-negative periparotid nodules on pretreatment imaging should raise the index of suspicion for subclinical disease in the presence of multilevel or Level II nodal metastases. Additional evaluation of such nodules might be indicated before sparing the ipsilateral parotid gland

Patterns of practice of regional nodal irradiation in breast cancer: results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) NOdal Radiotherapy (NORA) survey.

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Belkacemi, Y; Kaidar-Person, O; Poortmans, P; Ozsahin, M; Valli, M-C; Russell, N; Kunkler, I; Hermans, J; Kuten, A; van Tienhoven, G; Westenberg, H

2015-03-01

Predicting outcome of breast cancer (BC) patients based on sentinel lymph node (SLN) status without axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is an area of uncertainty. It influences the decision-making for regional nodal irradiation (RNI). The aim of the NORA (NOdal RAdiotherapy) survey was to examine the patterns of RNI. A web-questionnaire, including several clinical scenarios, was distributed to 88 EORTC-affiliated centers. Responses were received between July 2013 and January 2014. A total of 84 responses were analyzed. While three-dimensional (3D) radiotherapy (RT) planning is carried out in 81 (96%) centers, nodal areas are delineated in only 51 (61%) centers. Only 14 (17%) centers routinely link internal mammary chain (IMC) and supraclavicular node (SCN) RT indications. In patients undergoing total mastectomy (TM) with ALND, SCN-RT is recommend by 5 (6%), 53 (63%) and 51 (61%) centers for patients with pN0(i+), pN(mi) and pN1, respectively. Extra-capsular extension (ECE) is the main factor influencing decision-making RNI after breast conserving surgery (BCS) and TM. After primary systemic therapy (PST), 49 (58%) centers take into account nodal fibrotic changes in ypN0 patients for RNI indications. In ypN0 patients with inner/central tumors, 23 (27%) centers indicate SCN-RT and IMC-RT. In ypN1 patients, SCN-RT is delivered by less than half of the centers in patients with ypN(i+) and ypN(mi). Twenty-one (25%) of the centers recommend ALN-RT in patients with ypN(mi) or 1-2N+ after ALND. Seventy-five (90%) centers state that age is not considered a limiting factor for RNI. The NORA survey is unique in evaluating the impact of SLNB/ALND status on adjuvant RNI decision-making and volumes after BCS/TM with or without PST. ALN-RT is often indicated in pN1 patients, particularly in the case of ECE. Besides the ongoing NSABP-B51/RTOG and ALLIANCE trials, NORA could help to design future specific RNI trials in the SLNB era without ALND in patients receiving or not PST. �

Avoided intersections of nodal lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monastra, Alejandro G; Smilansky, Uzy; Gnutzmann, Sven

2003-01-01

We consider real eigenfunctions of the Schroedinger operator in 2D. The nodal lines of separable systems form a regular grid, and the number of nodal crossings equals the number of nodal domains. In contrast, for wavefunctions of non-integrable systems nodal intersections are rare, and for random waves, the expected number of intersections in any finite area vanishes. However, nodal lines display characteristic avoided crossings which we study in this work. We define a measure for the avoidance range and compute its distribution for the random wave ensemble. We show that the avoidance range distribution of wavefunctions of chaotic systems follows the expected random wave distributions, whereas for wavefunctions of classically integrable but quantum non-separable systems, the distribution is quite different. Thus, the study of the avoidance distribution provides more support to the conjecture that nodal structures of chaotic systems are reproduced by the predictions of the random wave ensemble

Magnonic triply-degenerate nodal points

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Owerre, S. A.

2017-12-01

We generalize the concept of triply-degenerate nodal points to non-collinear antiferromagnets. Here, we introduce this concept to insulating quantum antiferromagnets on the decorated honeycomb lattice, with spin-1 bosonic quasiparticle excitations known as magnons. We demonstrate the existence of magnonic surface states with constant energy contours that form pairs of magnonic arcs connecting the surface projection of the magnonic triple nodal points. The quasiparticle excitations near the triple nodal points represent three-component bosons beyond that of magnonic Dirac, Weyl, and nodal-line cases. They can be regarded as a direct reflection of the intrinsic spin carried by magnons. Furthermore, we show that the magnonic triple nodal points can split into magnonic Weyl points, as the system transits from a non-collinear spin structure to a non-coplanar one with a non-zero scalar spin chirality. Our results not only apply to insulating antiferromagnets, but also provide a platform to seek for triple nodal points in metallic antiferromagnets.

Involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) versus elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in combination with concurrent chemotherapy for 239 esophageal cancers: a single institutional retrospective study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, Hideomi; Takenaka, Ryousuke; Omori, Mami; Imae, Toshikazu; Okuma, Kae; Ohtomo, Kuni; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2015-01-01

This retrospective study on early and locally advanced esophageal cancer was conducted to evaluate locoregional failure and its impact on survival by comparing involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) with elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in combination with concurrent chemotherapy. We assessed all patients with esophageal cancer of stages I-IV treated with definitive radiotherapy from June 2000 to March 2014. Between 2000 and 2011, ENI was used for all cases excluding high age cases. After Feb 2011, a prospective study about IFRT was started, and therefore IFRT was used since then for all cases. Concurrent chemotherapy regimen was nedaplatin (80 mg/m 2 at D1 and D29) and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m 2 at D1-4 and D29-32). Of the 239 consecutive patients assessed (120 ENI vs. 119 IFRT), 59 patients (24.7 %) had stage IV disease and all patients received at least one cycle of chemotherapy. The median follow-up time for survivors was 34.0 months. There were differences in 3-year local control (44.8 % vs. 55.5 %, p = 0.039), distant control (53.8 % vs. 69.9 %, p = 0.021) and overall survival (34.8 % vs. 51.6 %, p = 0.087) rates between ENI vs. IFRT, respectively. Patients treated with IFRT (8 %) demonstrated a significantly lower risk (p = 0.047) of high grade late toxicities than with ENI (16 %). IFRT did not increase the risk of initially uninvolved or isolated nodal failures (27.5 % in ENI and 13.4 % in IFRT). Nodal failure rates in clinically uninvolved nodal stations were not increased with IFRT when compared to ENI. IFRT also resulted in significantly decreased esophageal toxicity, suggesting that IFRT may allow for integration of concurrent systemic chemotherapy in a greater proportion of patients. Both tendencies of improved loco-regional progression-free survival and a significant increased overall survival rate favored the IFRT arm over the ENI arm in this study

Involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) versus elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in combination with concurrent chemotherapy for 239 esophageal cancers: a single institutional retrospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Hideomi; Takenaka, Ryousuke; Omori, Mami; Imae, Toshikazu; Okuma, Kae; Ohtomo, Kuni; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2015-08-14

This retrospective study on early and locally advanced esophageal cancer was conducted to evaluate locoregional failure and its impact on survival by comparing involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) with elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in combination with concurrent chemotherapy. We assessed all patients with esophageal cancer of stages I-IV treated with definitive radiotherapy from June 2000 to March 2014. Between 2000 and 2011, ENI was used for all cases excluding high age cases. After Feb 2011, a prospective study about IFRT was started, and therefore IFRT was used since then for all cases. Concurrent chemotherapy regimen was nedaplatin (80 mg/m(2) at D1 and D29) and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m(2) at D1-4 and D29-32). Of the 239 consecutive patients assessed (120 ENI vs. 119 IFRT), 59 patients (24.7%) had stage IV disease and all patients received at least one cycle of chemotherapy. The median follow-up time for survivors was 34.0 months. There were differences in 3-year local control (44.8% vs. 55.5%, p = 0.039), distant control (53.8% vs. 69.9%, p = 0.021) and overall survival (34.8% vs. 51.6%, p = 0.087) rates between ENI vs. IFRT, respectively. Patients treated with IFRT (8 %) demonstrated a significantly lower risk (p = 0.047) of high grade late toxicities than with ENI (16%). IFRT did not increase the risk of initially uninvolved or isolated nodal failures (27.5% in ENI and 13.4% in IFRT). Nodal failure rates in clinically uninvolved nodal stations were not increased with IFRT when compared to ENI. IFRT also resulted in significantly decreased esophageal toxicity, suggesting that IFRT may allow for integration of concurrent systemic chemotherapy in a greater proportion of patients. Both tendencies of improved loco-regional progression-free survival and a significant increased overall survival rate favored the IFRT arm over the ENI arm in this study.

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) vs. involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A comparative analysis of toxicities and clinical outcomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, Annemarie T.; Shen, Jason; Finlay, Jarod; Mitra, Nandita; Evans, Tracey; Stevenson, James; Langer, Corey; Lin, Lilie; Hahn, Stephen; Glatstein, Eli; Rengan, Ramesh

2010-01-01

Background: Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) and involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) are definitive radiotherapeutic approaches used to treat patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ENI delivers prophylactic radiation to clinically uninvolved lymph nodes, while IFRT only targets identifiable gross nodal disease. Because clinically uninvolved nodal stations may harbor microscopic disease, IFRT raises concerns for increased nodal failures. This retrospective cohort analysis evaluates failure rates and treatment-related toxicities in patients treated at a single institution with ENI and IFRT. Methods: We assessed all patients with stage III locally advanced or stage IV oligometastatic NSCLC treated with definitive radiotherapy from 2003 to 2008. Each physician consistently treated with either ENI or IFRT, based on their treatment philosophy. Results: Of the 108 consecutive patients assessed (60 ENI vs. 48 IFRT), 10 patients had stage IV disease and 95 patients received chemotherapy. The median follow-up time for survivors was 18.9 months. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, patients treated with IFRT demonstrated a significantly lower risk of high grade esophagitis (Odds ratio: 0.31, p = 0.036). The differences in 2-year local control (39.2% vs. 59.6%), elective nodal control (84.3% vs. 84.3%), distant control (47.7% vs. 52.7%) and overall survival (40.1% vs. 43.7%) rates were not statistically significant between ENI vs. IFRT. Conclusions: Nodal failure rates in clinically uninvolved nodal stations were not increased with IFRT when compared to ENI. IFRT also resulted in significantly decreased esophageal toxicity, suggesting that IFRT may allow for integration of concurrent systemic chemotherapy in a greater proportion of patients.

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) vs. involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A comparative analysis of toxicities and clinical outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Annemarie T; Shen, Jason; Finlay, Jarod; Mitra, Nandita; Evans, Tracey; Stevenson, James; Langer, Corey; Lin, Lilie; Hahn, Stephen; Glatstein, Eli; Rengan, Ramesh

2010-05-01

Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) and involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) are definitive radiotherapeutic approaches used to treat patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ENI delivers prophylactic radiation to clinically uninvolved lymph nodes, while IFRT only targets identifiable gross nodal disease. Because clinically uninvolved nodal stations may harbor microscopic disease, IFRT raises concerns for increased nodal failures. This retrospective cohort analysis evaluates failure rates and treatment-related toxicities in patients treated at a single institution with ENI and IFRT. We assessed all patients with stage III locally advanced or stage IV oligometastatic NSCLC treated with definitive radiotherapy from 2003 to 2008. Each physician consistently treated with either ENI or IFRT, based on their treatment philosophy. Of the 108 consecutive patients assessed (60 ENI vs. 48 IFRT), 10 patients had stage IV disease and 95 patients received chemotherapy. The median follow-up time for survivors was 18.9 months. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, patients treated with IFRT demonstrated a significantly lower risk of high grade esophagitis (Odds ratio: 0.31, p = 0.036). The differences in 2-year local control (39.2% vs. 59.6%), elective nodal control (84.3% vs. 84.3%), distant control (47.7% vs. 52.7%) and overall survival (40.1% vs. 43.7%) rates were not statistically significant between ENI vs. IFRT. Nodal failure rates in clinically uninvolved nodal stations were not increased with IFRT when compared to ENI. IFRT also resulted in significantly decreased esophageal toxicity, suggesting that IFRT may allow for integration of concurrent systemic chemotherapy in a greater proportion of patients. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disrupted Nodal and Hub Organization Account for Brain Network Abnormalities in Parkinson's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Koshimori, Yuko; Cho, Sang-Soo; Criaud, Marion; Christopher, Leigh; Jacobs, Mark; Ghadery, Christine; Coakeley, Sarah; Harris, Madeleine; Mizrahi, Romina; Hamani, Clement; Lang, Anthony E; Houle, Sylvain; Strafella, Antonio P

2016-01-01

The recent application of graph theory to brain networks promises to shed light on complex diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to investigate functional changes in sensorimotor and cognitive networks in Parkinsonian patients, with a focus on inter- and intra-connectivity organization in the disease-associated nodal and hub regions using the graph theoretical analyses. Resting-state functional MRI data of a total of 65 participants, including 23 healthy controls (HCs) and 42 patients, were investigated in 120 nodes for local efficiency, betweenness centrality, and degree. Hub regions were identified in the HC and patient groups. We found nodal and hub changes in patients compared with HCs, including the right pre-supplementary motor area (SMA), left anterior insula, bilateral mid-insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right caudate nucleus. In general, nodal regions within the sensorimotor network (i.e., right pre-SMA and right mid-insula) displayed weakened connectivity, with the former node associated with more severe bradykinesia, and impaired integration with default mode network regions. The left mid-insula also lost its hub properties in patients. Within the executive networks, the left anterior insular cortex lost its hub properties in patients, while a new hub region was identified in the right caudate nucleus, paralleled by an increased level of inter- and intra-connectivity in the bilateral DLPFC possibly representing compensatory mechanisms. These findings highlight the diffuse changes in nodal organization and regional hub disruption accounting for the distributed abnormalities across brain networks and the clinical manifestations of PD.

Incidental Prophylactic Nodal Irradiation and Patterns of Nodal Relapse in Inoperable Early Stage NSCLC Patients Treated With SBRT: A Case-Matched Analysis

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Lao, Louis [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland (New Zealand); Hope, Andrew J. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Maganti, Manjula [Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Brade, Anthony; Bezjak, Andrea; Saibishkumar, Elantholi P.; Giuliani, Meredith; Sun, Alexander [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Cho, B. C. John, E-mail: john.cho@rmp.uhn.on.ca [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2014-09-01

Purpose: Reported rates of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) nodal failure following stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are lower than those reported in the surgical series when matched for stage. We hypothesized that this effect was due to incidental prophylactic nodal irradiation. Methods and Materials: A prospectively collected group of medically inoperable early stage NSCLC patients from 2004 to 2010 was used to identify cases with nodal relapses. Controls were matched to cases, 2:1, controlling for tumor volume (ie, same or greater) and tumor location (ie, same lobe). Reference (normalized to equivalent dose for 2-Gy fractions [EQD2]) point doses at the ipsilateral hilum and carina, demographic data, and clinical outcomes were extracted from the medical records. Univariate conditional logistical regression analyses were performed with variables of interest. Results: Cases and controls were well matched except for size. The controls, as expected, had larger gross tumor volumes (P=.02). The mean ipsilateral hilar doses were 9.6 Gy and 22.4 Gy for cases and controls, respectively (P=.014). The mean carinal doses were 7.0 Gy and 9.2 Gy, respectively (P=.13). Mediastinal nodal relapses, with and without ipsilateral hilar relapse, were associated with mean ipsilateral hilar doses of 3.6 Gy and 19.8 Gy, respectively (P=.01). The conditional density plot appears to demonstrate an inverse dose-effect relationship between ipsilateral hilar normalized total dose and risk of ipsilateral hilar relapse. Conclusions: Incidental hilar dose greater than 20 Gy is significantly associated with fewer ipsilateral hilar relapses in inoperable early stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT.

Incidental Prophylactic Nodal Irradiation and Patterns of Nodal Relapse in Inoperable Early Stage NSCLC Patients Treated With SBRT: A Case-Matched Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lao, Louis; Hope, Andrew J.; Maganti, Manjula; Brade, Anthony; Bezjak, Andrea; Saibishkumar, Elantholi P.; Giuliani, Meredith; Sun, Alexander; Cho, B. C. John

2014-01-01

Purpose: Reported rates of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) nodal failure following stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are lower than those reported in the surgical series when matched for stage. We hypothesized that this effect was due to incidental prophylactic nodal irradiation. Methods and Materials: A prospectively collected group of medically inoperable early stage NSCLC patients from 2004 to 2010 was used to identify cases with nodal relapses. Controls were matched to cases, 2:1, controlling for tumor volume (ie, same or greater) and tumor location (ie, same lobe). Reference (normalized to equivalent dose for 2-Gy fractions [EQD2]) point doses at the ipsilateral hilum and carina, demographic data, and clinical outcomes were extracted from the medical records. Univariate conditional logistical regression analyses were performed with variables of interest. Results: Cases and controls were well matched except for size. The controls, as expected, had larger gross tumor volumes (P=.02). The mean ipsilateral hilar doses were 9.6 Gy and 22.4 Gy for cases and controls, respectively (P=.014). The mean carinal doses were 7.0 Gy and 9.2 Gy, respectively (P=.13). Mediastinal nodal relapses, with and without ipsilateral hilar relapse, were associated with mean ipsilateral hilar doses of 3.6 Gy and 19.8 Gy, respectively (P=.01). The conditional density plot appears to demonstrate an inverse dose-effect relationship between ipsilateral hilar normalized total dose and risk of ipsilateral hilar relapse. Conclusions: Incidental hilar dose greater than 20 Gy is significantly associated with fewer ipsilateral hilar relapses in inoperable early stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT

Bladder Cancer Patterns of Pelvic Failure: Implications for Adjuvant Radiation Therapy

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Baumann, Brian C.; Guzzo, Thomas J.; He Jiwei; Vaughn, David J.; Keefe, Stephen M.; Vapiwala, Neha; Deville, Curtiland; Bekelman, Justin E.; Tucker, Kai; Hwang, Wei-Ting; Malkowicz, S. Bruce; Christodouleas, John P.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Local-regional failures (LFs) after cystectomy with or without chemotherapy are common in locally advanced disease. Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) could reduce LFs, but toxicity has discouraged its use. Modern RT techniques with improved normal tissue sparing have rekindled interest but require knowledge of pelvic failure patterns to design treatment volumes. Methods and Materials: Five-year LF rates after radical cystectomy plus pelvic node dissection with or without chemotherapy were determined for 8 pelvic sites among 442 urothelial bladder carcinoma patients. The impact of pathologic stage, margin status, nodal involvement, and extent of node dissection on failure patterns was assessed using competing risk analysis. We calculated the percentage of patients whose sites of LF would have been completely encompassed within various hypothetical clinical target volumes (CTVs) for postoperative radiation. Results: Compared with stage ≤pT2, stage ≥pT3 patients had higher 5-year LF rates in virtually all pelvic sites. Among stage ≥pT3 patients, margin status significantly altered the failure pattern whereas extent of node dissection and nodal positivity did not. In stage ≥pT3 patients with negative margins, failure occurred predominantly in the iliac/obturator nodes and uncommonly in the cystectomy bed and/or presacral nodes. Of these patients in whom failure subsequently occurred, 76% would have had all LF sites encompassed within CTVs covering only the iliac/obturator nodes. In stage ≥pT3 with positive margins, cystectomy bed and/or presacral nodal failures increased significantly. Only 57% of such patients had all LF sites within CTVs limited to the iliac/obturator nodes, but including the cystectomy bed and presacral nodes in the CTV when margins were positive increased the percentage of LFs encompassed to 91%. Conclusions: Patterns of failure within the pelvis are summarized to facilitate design of adjuvant RT protocols. These data suggest that

Time-dependent patterning of the mesoderm and endoderm by Nodal signals in zebrafish

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Dougan Scott T

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The vertebrate body plan is generated during gastrulation with the formation of the three germ layers. Members of the Nodal-related subclass of the TGF-β superfamily induce and pattern the mesoderm and endoderm in all vertebrates. In zebrafish, two nodal-related genes, called squint and cyclops, are required in a dosage-dependent manner for the formation of all derivatives of the mesoderm and endoderm. These genes are expressed dynamically during the blastula stages and may have different roles at different times. This question has been difficult to address because conditions that alter the timing of nodal-related gene expression also change Nodal levels. We utilized a pharmacological approach to conditionally inactivate the ALK 4, 5 and 7 receptors during the blastula stages without disturbing earlier signaling activity. This permitted us to directly examine when Nodal signals specify cell types independently of dosage effects. Results We show that two drugs, SB-431542 and SB-505124, completely block the response to Nodal signals when added to embryos after the mid-blastula transition. By blocking Nodal receptor activity at later stages, we demonstrate that Nodal signaling is required from the mid-to-late blastula period to specify sequentially, the somites, notochord, blood, Kupffer's vesicle, hatching gland, heart, and endoderm. Blocking Nodal signaling at late times prevents specification of cell types derived from the embryo margin, but not those from more animal regions. This suggests a linkage between cell fate and length of exposure to Nodal signals. Confirming this, cells exposed to a uniform Nodal dose adopt progressively more marginal fates with increasing lengths of exposure. Finally, cell fate specification is delayed in squint mutants and accelerated when Nodal levels are elevated. Conclusion We conclude that (1 Nodal signals are most active during the mid-to-late blastula stages, when nodal-related gene

The SINTRAN III NODAL system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skaali, T.B.

1980-10-01

NODAL is a high level programming language based on FOCAL and SNOBOL4, with some influence from BASIC. The language was developed to operate on the computer network controlling the SPS accelerator at CERN. NODAL is an interpretive language designed for interactive use. This is the most important aspect of the language, and is reflected in its structure. The interactive facilities make it possible to write, debug and modify programs much faster than with compiler based languages like FORTRAN and ALGOL. Apart from a few minor modifications, the basic part of the Oslo University NODAL system does not differ from the CERN version. However, the Oslo University implementation has been expanded with new functions which enable the user to execute many of the SINTRAN III monitor calls from the NODAL level. In particular the most important RT monitor calls have been implemented in this way, a property which renders possible the use of NODAL as a RT program administrator. (JIW)

Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy for Elective Nodal Irradiation and Involved-Field Radiation in the Definitive Treatment of Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Dosimetric Study

Science.gov (United States)

Kesarwala, Aparna H.; Ko, Christine J.; Ning, Holly; Xanthopoulos, Eric; Haglund, Karl E.; O’Meara, William P.; Simone, Charles B.; Rengan, Ramesh

2015-01-01

Background Photon involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT), the standard for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC), results in favorable outcomes without increased isolated nodal failures, perhaps from scattered dose to elective nodal stations. Given the high conformality of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT), proton IFRT could increase nodal failures. We investigated the feasibility of IMPT for elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in LA-NSCLC. Materials and Methods IMPT IFRT plans were generated to the same total dose of 66.6–72 Gy received by 20 LA-NSCLC patients treated with photon IFRT. IMPT ENI plans were generated to 46 CGE to elective nodal (EN) planning treatment volumes (PTV) plus 24 CGE to involved field (IF)-PTVs. Results Proton IFRT and ENI both improved D95 involved field (IF)-PTV coverage by 4% (pENI. Mean esophagus dose decreased 16% with IFRT and 12% with ENI; heart V25 decreased 63% with both (all pENI. Potential decreased toxicity indicates IMPT could allow ENI while maintaining a favorable therapeutic ratio compared to photon IFRT. PMID:25604729

Regional nodal staging with 18F-FDG PET–CT in non-small cell lung cancer: Additional diagnostic value of CT attenuation and dual-time-point imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Meng; Wu, Ning; Liu, Ying; Zheng, Rong; Liang, Ying; Zhang, Wenjie; Zhao, Ping

2012-01-01

Background: [Fluorine-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET–CT) is widely performed in the regional nodal staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the uptake of 18 F-FDG by tubercular granulomatous tissues may lead to false-positive diagnosis. This is of special concern in China, where tubercular granulomatous disease is epidemic. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of an additional CT attenuation and a dual-time-point scan in determining the status of lymph nodes. Methods: Eighty NSCLC patients underwent curative surgical resection after 18 F-FDG PET–CT and separate breath-hold CT examinations. The initial images were analyzed by two methods. In method 1, nodal status was determined by 18 F-FDG uptake only. In Method 2, nodal status was determined by 18 F-FDG uptake associated with CT attenuation. For dual-time-point imaging, the retention index (RI) of benign and malignant nodal groups with positive uptake in the initial scan was examined. Results: A total of 265 nodal groups were documented. On a per-nodal-group basis, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of Method 1 were 66.7%, 89.7%, and 85.3%, respectively, whereas those of Method 2 were 64.7%, 96.7%, and 90.6%, respectively. The improvement in diagnostic specificity and accuracy associated with the addition of CT attenuation in Method 2 as compared to Method 1 was statistically significant (p 0.05). Conclusion: 18 F-FDG PET–CT has high diagnostic value for preoperative lymph-node (N) staging of NSCLC patients. We show that 18 F-FDG uptake combined with CT attenuation improves the diagnostic specificity and accuracy of nodal diagnosis in NSCLC. For the lymph nodes with positive uptake in the initial scan, dual-time-point imaging has limited effect in differentiation.

Pattern of occult nodal relapse diagnosed with 18F-fluoro-choline PET/CT in prostate cancer patients with biochemical failure after prostate-only radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lépinoy, Alexis; Cochet, Alexandre; Cueff, Adèle; Cormier, Luc; Martin, Etienne; Maingon, Philippe; Bosset, Jean François; Brunotte, François; Créhange, Gilles

2014-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe the pattern of nodal relapse with 18 F-fluoro-choline (FCH) Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography (PET/CT) in prostate cancer patients after radiotherapy. Materials and methods: Eighty-three patients had a FCH PET/CT at time of biochemical failure. Of 65 patients with positive findings, 33 had positive nodes. This analysis included 31 patients who had undergone prior prostate-only radiotherapy with or without a prior radical prostatectomy. Each FCH positive node was assigned to a lymph node station with respect to the CTV defined by the RTOG guidelines (CTV RTOG ). 3D mapping was performed after each node was manually placed in a reference planning CT scan after automatic co-registration of the two scans based on bone anatomy. Eighteen patients (58%) underwent focal salvage FCH PET-guided stereotactic radiotherapy with no hormones. Results: Fourteen patients (45.2%) had a relapse outside the CTV RTOG . Of the 17 patients with a positive node inside the CTV RTOG , 15 had a single node (88.2%) while seven patients out of the 13 evaluable patients (53.9%) who had a relapse outside the CTV RTOG had ⩾2 positive nodes on FCH PET/CT (OR = 8.75, [95% CI: 1.38–54.80], p = 0.020). Relapses that occurred outside the CTV RTOG involved the proximal common iliac (19.3%) and lower periaortic nodes (19.3%) up to L2–L3. Conclusion: 3D mapping of nodal relapses evaluated with FCH PET/CT suggests that with IMRT the upper field limit of pelvic radiotherapy could be extended to L2–L3 safely to cover 95% of nodal stations at risk of an occult relapse

Disrupted nodal and hub organization account for brain network abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuko Koshimori

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The recent application of graph theory to brain networks promises to shed light on complex diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. This study aimed to investigate functional changes in sensorimotor and cognitive networks in parkinsonian patients, with a focus on inter- and intra-connectivity organization in the disease-associated nodal and hub regions using the graph theoretical analyses. Resting-state functional MRI data of a total of 65 participants, including 23 healthy controls and 42 patients, were investigated in 120 nodes for local efficiency, betweenness centrality, and degree. Hub regions were identified in the healthy control and patient groups. We found nodal and hub changes in patients compared with healthy controls, including the right pre-supplementary motor area, left anterior insula, bilateral mid-insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right caudate nucleus. In general, nodal regions within the sensorimotor network (i.e. right pre-supplementary motor area and right mid-insula displayed weakened connectivity, with the former node associated with more severe bradykinesia, and impaired integration with default mode network regions. The left mid-insula also lost its hub properties in patients. Within the executive networks, the left anterior insular cortex lost its hub properties in patients, while a new hub region was identified in the right caudate nucleus, paralleled by an increased level of inter- and intra-connectivity in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex possibly representing compensatory mechanisms. These findings highlight the diffuse changes in nodal organization and regional hub disruption accounting for the distributed abnormalities across brain networks and the clinical manifestations of Parkinson’s disease.

Robust doubly charged nodal lines and nodal surfaces in centrosymmetric systems

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Bzdušek, Tomáš; Sigrist, Manfred

2017-10-01

Weyl points in three spatial dimensions are characterized by a Z -valued charge—the Chern number—which makes them stable against a wide range of perturbations. A set of Weyl points can mutually annihilate only if their net charge vanishes, a property we refer to as robustness. While nodal loops are usually not robust in this sense, it has recently been shown using homotopy arguments that in the centrosymmetric extension of the AI symmetry class they nevertheless develop a Z2 charge analogous to the Chern number. Nodal loops carrying a nontrivial value of this Z2 charge are robust, i.e., they can be gapped out only by a pairwise annihilation and not on their own. As this is an additional charge independent of the Berry π -phase flowing along the band degeneracy, such nodal loops are, in fact, doubly charged. In this manuscript, we generalize the homotopy discussion to the centrosymmetric extensions of all Atland-Zirnbauer classes. We develop a tailored mathematical framework dubbed the AZ +I classification and show that in three spatial dimensions such robust and multiply charged nodes appear in four of such centrosymmetric extensions, namely, AZ +I classes CI and AI lead to doubly charged nodal lines, while D and BDI support doubly charged nodal surfaces. We remark that no further crystalline symmetries apart from the spatial inversion are necessary for their stability. We provide a description of the corresponding topological charges, and develop simple tight-binding models of various semimetallic and superconducting phases that exhibit these nodes. We also indicate how the concept of robust and multiply charged nodes generalizes to other spatial dimensions.

Benchmarking with high-order nodal diffusion methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasevic, D.; Larsen, E.W.

1993-01-01

Significant progress in the solution of multidimensional neutron diffusion problems was made in the late 1970s with the introduction of nodal methods. Modern nodal reactor analysis codes provide significant improvements in both accuracy and computing speed over earlier codes based on fine-mesh finite difference methods. In the past, the performance of advanced nodal methods was determined by comparisons with fine-mesh finite difference codes. More recently, the excellent spatial convergence of nodal methods has permitted their use in establishing reference solutions for some important bench-mark problems. The recent development of the self-consistent high-order nodal diffusion method and its subsequent variational formulation has permitted the calculation of reference solutions with one node per assembly mesh size. In this paper, we compare results for four selected benchmark problems to those obtained by high-order response matrix methods and by two well-known state-of-the-art nodal methods (the open-quotes analyticalclose quotes and open-quotes nodal expansionclose quotes methods)

Pattern of Progression after Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer Nodal Recurrences.

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Ost, P; Jereczek-Fossa, B A; Van As, N; Zilli, T; Tree, A; Henderson, D; Orecchia, R; Casamassima, F; Surgo, A; Miralbell, R; De Meerleer, G

2016-09-01

To report the relapse pattern of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligorecurrent nodal prostate cancer (PCa). PCa patients with ≤3 lymph nodes (N1/M1a) at the time of recurrence were treated with SBRT. SBRT was defined as a radiotherapy dose of at least 5 Gy per fraction to a biological effective dose of at least 80 Gy to all metastatic sites. Distant progression-free survival was defined as the time interval between the first day of SBRT and appearance of new metastatic lesions, outside the high-dose region. Relapses after SBRT were recorded and compared with the initially treated site. Secondary end points were local control, time to palliative androgen deprivation therapy and toxicity scored using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0. Overall, 89 metastases were treated in 72 patients. The median distant progression-free survival was 21 months (95% confidence interval 16-25 months) with 88% of patients having ≤3 metastases at the time of progression. The median time from first SBRT to the start of palliative androgen deprivation therapy was 44 months (95% confidence interval 17-70 months). Most relapses (68%) occurred in nodal regions. Relapses after pelvic nodal SBRT (n = 36) were located in the pelvis (n = 14), retroperitoneum (n = 1), pelvis and retroperitoneum (n = 8) or in non-nodal regions (n = 13). Relapses after SBRT for extrapelvic nodes (n = 5) were located in the pelvis (n = 1) or the pelvis and retroperitoneum (n = 4). Late grade 1 and 2 toxicity was observed in 17% (n = 12) and 4% of patients (n = 3). SBRT for oligometastatic PCa nodal recurrences is safe. Most subsequent relapses are again nodal and oligometastatic. Copyright © 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nodal-chain metals.

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Bzdušek, Tomáš; Wu, QuanSheng; Rüegg, Andreas; Sigrist, Manfred; Soluyanov, Alexey A

2016-10-06

The band theory of solids is arguably the most successful theory of condensed-matter physics, providing a description of the electronic energy levels in various materials. Electronic wavefunctions obtained from the band theory enable a topological characterization of metals for which the electronic spectrum may host robust, topologically protected, fermionic quasiparticles. Many of these quasiparticles are analogues of the elementary particles of the Standard Model, but others do not have a counterpart in relativistic high-energy theories. A complete list of possible quasiparticles in solids is lacking, even in the non-interacting case. Here we describe the possible existence of a hitherto unrecognized type of fermionic excitation in metals. This excitation forms a nodal chain-a chain of connected loops in momentum space-along which conduction and valence bands touch. We prove that the nodal chain is topologically distinct from previously reported excitations. We discuss the symmetry requirements for the appearance of this excitation and predict that it is realized in an existing material, iridium tetrafluoride (IrF 4 ), as well as in other compounds of this class of materials. Using IrF 4 as an example, we provide a discussion of the topological surface states associated with the nodal chain. We argue that the presence of the nodal-chain fermions will result in anomalous magnetotransport properties, distinct from those of materials exhibiting previously known excitations.

Sensitivity analysis of MIDAS tests using SPACE code. Effect of nodalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, Shin; Oh, Seung-Jong; Diab, Aya

2018-01-01

The nodalization sensitivity analysis for the ECCS (Emergency Core Cooling System) bypass phe�nomena was performed using the SPACE (Safety and Performance Analysis CodE) thermal hydraulic analysis computer code. The results of MIDAS (Multi-�dimensional Investigation in Downcomer Annulus Simulation) test were used. The MIDAS test was conducted by the KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) for the performance evaluation of the ECC (Emergency Core Cooling) bypass phenomenon in the DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) system. The main aim of this study is to examine the sensitivity of the SPACE code results to the number of thermal hydraulic channels used to model the annulus region in the MIDAS experiment. The numerical model involves three nodalization cases (4, 6, and 12 channels) and the result show that the effect of nodalization on the bypass fraction for the high steam flow rate MIDAS tests is minimal. For computational efficiency, a 4 channel representation is recommended for the SPACE code nodalization. For the low steam flow rate tests, the SPACE code over-�predicts the bypass fraction irrespective of the nodalization finesse. The over-�prediction at low steam flow may be attributed to the difficulty to accurately represent the flow regime in the vicinity of the broken cold leg.

Sensitivity analysis of MIDAS tests using SPACE code. Effect of nodalization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eom, Shin; Oh, Seung-Jong; Diab, Aya [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS), Ulsan (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of NPP Engineering

2018-02-15

The nodalization sensitivity analysis for the ECCS (Emergency Core Cooling System) bypass phe�nomena was performed using the SPACE (Safety and Performance Analysis CodE) thermal hydraulic analysis computer code. The results of MIDAS (Multi-�dimensional Investigation in Downcomer Annulus Simulation) test were used. The MIDAS test was conducted by the KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) for the performance evaluation of the ECC (Emergency Core Cooling) bypass phenomenon in the DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) system. The main aim of this study is to examine the sensitivity of the SPACE code results to the number of thermal hydraulic channels used to model the annulus region in the MIDAS experiment. The numerical model involves three nodalization cases (4, 6, and 12 channels) and the result show that the effect of nodalization on the bypass fraction for the high steam flow rate MIDAS tests is minimal. For computational efficiency, a 4 channel representation is recommended for the SPACE code nodalization. For the low steam flow rate tests, the SPACE code over-�predicts the bypass fraction irrespective of the nodalization finesse. The over-�prediction at low steam flow may be attributed to the difficulty to accurately represent the flow regime in the vicinity of the broken cold leg.

Analysis of nodal coverage utilizing image guided radiation therapy for primary gynecologic tumor volumes

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Ahmed, Faisal [University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Loma Linda University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Loma Linda, CA (United States); Sarkar, Vikren; Gaffney, David K.; Salter, Bill [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Poppe, Matthew M., E-mail: matthew.poppe@hci.utah.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2016-10-01

evaluating individual IGRT sessions, we found that 6 patients had an estimated minimal nodal CTV dose less than 90% (range: 78 to 99%) of that planned. With a median follow-up of 42.5 months, 2 patients experienced systemic disease progression at an average of 19.6 months. One patient was found to have a local or regional failure with an average follow-up of 42 months. Conclusion: Using only 3 dimensional IGRT corrections in gynecological radiation allows excellent coverage of the primary target volume and good average nodal CTV coverage. If IGRT corrections are based on alignment to the primary tumor volume, and is only able to be corrected in 3 degrees, this can create situations in which nodal volumes may be under dosed. Utilizing multiple IGRT sessions appears to average out dose discrepancies over the course of treatment. The implication of underdosing in a single IGRT session needs further evaluation in future studies. Based on the concern of minimum dose to a nodal target volume, these findings may signal caution when using IGRT and IMRT in gynecological radiation patients. Possible techniques to overcome this situation may include averaging shifts between tumor and nodal volume, use of a treatment couch with 6° of freedom, deformable registration, or adaptive planning.

Involved-Field Radiotherapy versus Elective Nodal Irradiation in Combination with Concurrent Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective Randomized Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; Bao, Yong; Ma, Hong-Lian; Wang, Jin; Wang, Yan; Peng, Fang; Zhou, Qi-Chao; Xie, Cong-Hua

2013-01-01

This prospective randomized study is to evaluate the locoregional failure and its impact on survival by comparing involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) with elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in combination with concurrent chemotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. It appears that higher dose could be delivered in IFRT arm than that in ENI arm, and IFRT did not increase the risk of initially uninvolved or isolated nodal failures. Both a tendency of improved locoregional progression-free survival and a significant increased overall survival rate are in favor of IFRT arm in this study. PMID:23762840

Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Tumors of the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses: Clinical Outcomes and Patterns of Failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiegner, Ellen A.; Daly, Megan E.; Murphy, James D.; Abelson, Jonathan; Chapman, Chris H.; Chung, Melody; Yu, Yao; Colevas, A. Dimitrios; Kaplan, Michael J.; Fischbein, Nancy; Le, Quynh-Thu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States); Chang, Daniel T., E-mail: dtchang@stanford.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States)

2012-05-01

Purpose: To report outcomes in patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for tumors of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity (PNS/NC). Methods/Materials: Between June 2000 and December 2009, 52 patients with tumors of the PNS/NC underwent postoperative or definitive radiation with IMRT. Twenty-eight (54%) patients had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Twenty-nine patients (56%) received chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 26.6 months (range, 2.9-118.4) for all patients and 30.9 months for living patients. Results: Eighteen patients (35%) developed local-regional failure (LRF) at median time of 7.2 months. Thirteen local failures (25%) were observed, 12 in-field and 1 marginal. Six regional failures were observed, two in-field and four out-of-field. No patients treated with elective nodal radiation had nodal regional failure. Two-year local-regional control (LRC), in-field LRC, freedom from distant metastasis (FFDM), and overall survival (OS) were 64%, 74%, 71%, and 66% among all patients, respectively, and 43%, 61%, 61%, and 53% among patients with SCC, respectively. On multivariate analysis, SCC and >1 subsite involved had worse LRC (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.046, respectively) and OS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.046, respectively). Cribriform plate invasion (p = 0.005) and residual disease (p = 0.047) also had worse LRC. Acute toxicities included Grade {>=}3 mucositis in 19 patients (37%), and Grade 3 dermatitis in 8 patients (15%). Six patients had Grade {>=}3 late toxicity including one optic toxicity. Conclusions: IMRT for patients with PNS/NC tumors has good outcomes compared with historical series and is well tolerated. Patients with SCC have worse LRC and OS. LRF is the predominant pattern of failure.

Intensity-modulated proton therapy for elective nodal irradiation and involved-field radiation in the definitive treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a dosimetric study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kesarwala, Aparna H; Ko, Christine J; Ning, Holly; Xanthopoulos, Eric; Haglund, Karl E; O'Meara, William P; Simone, Charles B; Rengan, Ramesh

2015-05-01

Photon involved-field (IF) radiation therapy (IFRT), the standard for locally advanced (LA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), results in favorable outcomes without increased isolated nodal failures, perhaps from scattered dose to elective nodal stations. Because of the high conformality of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT), proton IFRT could increase nodal failures. We investigated the feasibility of IMPT for elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in LA-NSCLC. IMPT IFRT plans were generated to the same total dose of 66.6-72 Gy received by 20 LA-NSCLC patients treated with photon IFRT. IMPT ENI plans were generated to 46 cobalt Gray equivalent (CGE) to elective nodal planning treatment volumes (PTV) plus 24 CGE to IF-PTVs. Proton IFRT and ENI improved the IF-PTV percentage of volume receiving 95% of the prescribed dose (D95) by 4% (P ENI. The mean esophagus dose decreased 16% with IFRT and 12% with ENI; heart V25 decreased 63% with both (all P ENI. Potential decreased toxicity indicates that IMPT could allow ENI while maintaining a favorable therapeutic ratio compared with photon IFRT. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Amplification and protein overexpression of cyclin D1: Predictor of occult nodal metastasis in early oral cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Noorlag, Rob; Boeve, Koos; Witjes, Max J H; Koole, Ronald; Peeters, Ton L M; Schuuring, Ed; Willems, Stefan M; van Es, Robert J J

2017-02-01

Accurate nodal staging is pivotal for treatment planning in early (stage I-II) oral cancer. Unfortunately, current imaging modalities lack sensitivity to detect occult nodal metastases. Chromosomal region 11q13, including genes CCND1, Fas-associated death domain (FADD), and CTTN, is often amplified in oral cancer with nodal metastases. However, evidence in predicting occult nodal metastases is limited. In 158 patients with early tongue and floor of mouth (FOM) squamous cell carcinomas, both CCND1 amplification and cyclin D1, FADD, and cortactin protein expression were correlated with occult nodal metastases. CCND1 amplification and cyclin D1 expression correlated with occult nodal metastases. Cyclin D1 expression was validated in an independent multicenter cohort, confirming the correlation with occult nodal metastases in early FOM cancers. Cyclin D1 is a predictive biomarker for occult nodal metastases in early FOM cancers. Prospective research on biopsy material should confirm these results before implementing its use in routine clinical practice. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 326-333, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A variational synthesis nodal discrete ordinates method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favorite, J.A.; Stacey, W.M.

1999-01-01

A self-consistent nodal approximation method for computing discrete ordinates neutron flux distributions has been developed from a variational functional for neutron transport theory. The advantage of the new nodal method formulation is that it is self-consistent in its definition of the homogenized nodal parameters, the construction of the global nodal equations, and the reconstruction of the detailed flux distribution. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by two-dimensional test problems

Nodal Control and Surgical Salvage after Primary Radiotherapy in 1,782 Patients with Laryngeal and Pharyngeal Carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vendelbo Johansen, Lars; Grau, Cai; Overgaard, Jens

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ultimate neck control after primary radiotherapy and surgical salvage in laryngeal and pharyngeal cancer patients. Some 1,782 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma were treated by radiotherapy. At presentation 26% of the patients had metastatic lymph nodes. A total of 298 primary or secondary nodal recurrences were seen, 159 were treated, and 53 (∼18%) were controlled. Isolated N-recurrence was fatal in 2.7% (36/1,324) of the N0 patients. Univariate actuarial analysis of nodal control demonstrated that the region of origin, T-classification, T-size, N-classification, tumor stage, differentiation, hemoglobin, and radiation time were significant prognostic factors. In a Cox analysis the independent significant parameters were gender, region of origin, N-classification, and differentiation. The conclusions were that in patients with nodal recurrence a little over half were treated and of these a third of the nodal recurrences were controlled. Significant prognostic factors in multivariate analysis were gender, region of origin, N-classification, and tumor differentiation

Quantum oscillations in nodal line systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Moessner, Roderich; Lim, Lih-King

2018-04-01

We study signatures of magnetic quantum oscillations in three-dimensional nodal line semimetals at zero temperature. The extended nature of the degenerate bands can result in a Fermi surface geometry with topological genus one, as well as a Fermi surface of electron and hole pockets encapsulating the nodal line. Moreover, the underlying two-band model to describe a nodal line is not unique, in that there are two classes of Hamiltonian with distinct band topology giving rise to the same Fermi-surface geometry. After identifying the extremal cyclotron orbits in various magnetic field directions, we study their concomitant Landau levels and resulting quantum oscillation signatures. By Landau-fan-diagram analyses, we extract the nontrivial π Berry phase signature for extremal orbits linking the nodal line.

Comparison of neutronic transport equation resolution nodal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamonsky, O.M.; Gho, C.J.

1990-01-01

In this work, some transport equation resolution nodal methods are comparatively studied: the constant-constant (CC), linear-nodal (LN) and the constant-quadratic (CQ). A nodal scheme equivalent to finite differences has been used for its programming, permitting its inclusion in existing codes. Some bidimensional problems have been solved, showing that linear-nodal (LN) are, in general, obtained with accuracy in CPU shorter times. (Author) [es

Efficient Meshfree Large Deformation Simulation of Rainfall Induced Soil Slope Failure

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongdong; Li, Ling

2010-05-01

An efficient Lagrangian Galerkin meshfree framework is presented for large deformation simulation of rainfall-induced soil slope failure. Detailed coupled soil-rainfall seepage equations are given for the proposed formulation. This nonlinear meshfree formulation is featured by the Lagrangian stabilized conforming nodal integration method where the low cost nature of nodal integration approach is kept and at the same time the numerical stability is maintained. The initiation and evolution of progressive failure in the soil slope is modeled by the coupled constitutive equations of isotropic damage and Drucker-Prager pressure-dependent plasticity. The gradient smoothing in the stabilized conforming integration also serves as a non-local regularization of material instability and consequently the present method is capable of effectively capture the shear band failure. The efficacy of the present method is demonstrated by simulating the rainfall-induced failure of two typical soil slopes.

Heterogeneous treatment in the variational nodal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fanning, T.H.

1995-01-01

The variational nodal transport method is reduced to its diffusion form and generalized for the treatment of heterogeneous nodes while maintaining nodal balances. Adapting variational methods to heterogeneous nodes requires the ability to integrate over a node with discontinuous cross sections. In this work, integrals are evaluated using composite gaussian quadrature rules, which permit accurate integration while minimizing computing time. Allowing structure within a nodal solution scheme avoids some of the necessity of cross section homogenization, and more accurately defines the intra-nodal flux shape. Ideally, any desired heterogeneity can be constructed within the node; but in reality, the finite set of basis functions limits the practical resolution to which fine detail can be defined within the node. Preliminary comparison tests show that the heterogeneous variational nodal method provides satisfactory results even if some improvements are needed for very difficult, configurations

Celiac Node Failure Patterns After Definitive Chemoradiation for Esophageal Cancer in the Modern Era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amini, Arya; Xiao Lianchun; Allen, Pamela K.; Suzuki, Akihiro; Hayashi, Yuki; Liao, Zhongxing; Hofstetter, Wayne; Crane, Christopher; Komaki, Ritsuko; Bhutani, Manoop S.; Lee, Jeffrey H.; Ajani, Jaffer A.; Welsh, James

2012-01-01

Purpose: The celiac lymph node axis acts as a gateway for metastatic systemic spread. The need for prophylactic celiac nodal coverage in chemoradiation therapy for esophageal cancer is controversial. Given the improved ability to evaluate lymph node status before treatment via positron emission tomography (PET) and endoscopic ultrasound, we hypothesized that prophylactic celiac node irradiation may not be needed for patients with localized esophageal carcinoma. Methods and Materials: We reviewed the radiation treatment volumes for 131 patients who underwent definitive chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. Patients with celiac lymph node involvement at baseline were excluded. Median radiation dose was 50.4 Gy. The location of all celiac node failures was compared with the radiation treatment plan to determine whether the failures occurred within or outside the radiation treatment field. Results: At a median follow-up time of 52.6 months (95% CI 46.1–56.7 months), 6 of 60 patients (10%) without celiac node coverage had celiac nodal failure; in 5 of these patients, the failures represented the first site of recurrence. Of the 71 patients who had celiac coverage, only 5 patients (7%) had celiac region relapse. In multivariate analyses, having a pretreatment-to-post-treatment change in standardized uptake value on PET >52% (odds ratio [OR] 0.198, p = 0.0327) and having failure in the clinical target volume (OR 10.72, p = 0.001) were associated with risk of celiac region relapse. Of those without celiac coverage, the 6 patients that later developed celiac failure had a worse median overall survival time compared with the other 54 patients who did not fail (median overall survival time: 16.5 months vs. 31.5 months, p = 0.041). Acute and late toxicities were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Although celiac lymph node failures occur in approximately 1 of 10 patients, the lack of effective salvage treatments and subsequent low morbidity may justify prophylactic

Celiac Node Failure Patterns After Definitive Chemoradiation for Esophageal Cancer in the Modern Era

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amini, Arya [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); UC Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, California (United States); Xiao Lianchun [Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Allen, Pamela K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Suzuki, Akihiro; Hayashi, Yuki [Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Liao, Zhongxing [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Hofstetter, Wayne [Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Crane, Christopher; Komaki, Ritsuko [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Bhutani, Manoop S.; Lee, Jeffrey H.; Ajani, Jaffer A. [Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Welsh, James, E-mail: jwelsh@mdanderson.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States)

2012-06-01

Purpose: The celiac lymph node axis acts as a gateway for metastatic systemic spread. The need for prophylactic celiac nodal coverage in chemoradiation therapy for esophageal cancer is controversial. Given the improved ability to evaluate lymph node status before treatment via positron emission tomography (PET) and endoscopic ultrasound, we hypothesized that prophylactic celiac node irradiation may not be needed for patients with localized esophageal carcinoma. Methods and Materials: We reviewed the radiation treatment volumes for 131 patients who underwent definitive chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. Patients with celiac lymph node involvement at baseline were excluded. Median radiation dose was 50.4 Gy. The location of all celiac node failures was compared with the radiation treatment plan to determine whether the failures occurred within or outside the radiation treatment field. Results: At a median follow-up time of 52.6 months (95% CI 46.1-56.7 months), 6 of 60 patients (10%) without celiac node coverage had celiac nodal failure; in 5 of these patients, the failures represented the first site of recurrence. Of the 71 patients who had celiac coverage, only 5 patients (7%) had celiac region relapse. In multivariate analyses, having a pretreatment-to-post-treatment change in standardized uptake value on PET >52% (odds ratio [OR] 0.198, p = 0.0327) and having failure in the clinical target volume (OR 10.72, p = 0.001) were associated with risk of celiac region relapse. Of those without celiac coverage, the 6 patients that later developed celiac failure had a worse median overall survival time compared with the other 54 patients who did not fail (median overall survival time: 16.5 months vs. 31.5 months, p = 0.041). Acute and late toxicities were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Although celiac lymph node failures occur in approximately 1 of 10 patients, the lack of effective salvage treatments and subsequent low morbidity may justify prophylactic treatment

The Nudo, Rollo, Melon codes and nodal correlations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perlado, J.M.; Aragones, J.M.; Minguez, E.; Pena, J.

1975-01-01

Analysis of nodal calculation and checking results by the reference reactor experimental data. Nudo code description, adapting experimental data to nodal calculations. Rollo, Melon codes as improvement in the cycle life calculations of albedos, mixing parameters and nodal correlations. (author)

An analytical spatial reconstruction algorithm for the SD-SGF-CN hybrid nodal method for one-speed X,Y-geometry SN eigenvalue problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menezes, Welton Alves; Alves Filho, Hermes; Barros, Ricardo C.

2009-01-01

In this paper the X,Y-geometry SD-SGF-CN spectral nodal method, cf. spectral diamond-spectral Green's function-constant nodal, is used to determine the one-speed node-edge average angular fluxes in heterogeneous domains. This hybrid spectral nodal method uses the spectral diamond (SD) auxiliary equation for the multiplying regions and the spectral Green's function (SGF) auxiliary equation for the non-multiplying regions of the domain. Moreover, we consider constant approximations for the transverse-leakage terms in the transverse integrated S N nodal equations. We solve the SD-SGF-CN equations using the one-node block inversion (NBI) iterative scheme, which uses the most recent estimates available for the node-entering fluxes to evaluate the node-exiting fluxes in the directions that constitute the incoming fluxes for the adjacent node. Using these results, we offer an algorithm for analytical reconstruction of the coarse-mesh nodal solution within each spatial node, as localized numerical solutions are not generated by usual accurate nodal methods. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the present algorithm. (author)

Encapsulation of nodal segments of lobelia chinensis

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Weng Hing Thong

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Lobelia chinensis served as an important herb in traditional chinese medicine. It is rare in the field and infected by some pathogens. Therefore, encapsulation of axillary buds has been developed for in vitro propagation of L. chinensis. Nodal explants of L. chinensis were used as inclusion materials for encapsulation. Various combinations of calcium chloride and sodium alginate were tested. Encapsulation beads produced by mixing 50 mM calcium chloride and 3.5% sodium alginate supported the optimal in vitro conversion potential. The number of multiple shoots formed by encapsulated nodal segments was not significantly different from the average of shoots produced by non-encapsulated nodal segments. The encapsulated nodal segments regenerated in vitro on different medium. The optimal germination and regeneration medium was Murashige-Skoog medium. Plantlets regenerated from the encapsulated nodal segments were hardened, acclimatized and established well in the field, showing similar morphology with parent plants. This encapsulation technology would serve as an alternative in vitro regeneration system for L. chinensis.

On the non-uniqueness of the nodal mathematical adjoint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Müller, Erwin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We evaluate three CMFD schemes for computing the nodal mathematical adjoint. • The nodal mathematical adjoint is not unique and can be non-positive (nonphysical). • Adjoint and forward eigenmodes are compatible if produced by the same CMFD method. • In nodal applications the excited eigenmodes are purely mathematical entities. - Abstract: Computation of the neutron adjoint flux within the framework of modern nodal diffusion methods is often facilitated by reducing the nodal equation system for the forward flux into a simpler coarse-mesh finite-difference form and then transposing the resultant matrix equations. The solution to the transposed problem is known as the nodal mathematical adjoint. Since the coarse-mesh finite-difference reduction of a given nodal formulation can be obtained in a number of ways, different nodal mathematical adjoint solutions can be computed. This non-uniqueness of the nodal mathematical adjoint challenges the credibility of the reduction strategy and demands a verdict as to its suitability in practical applications. This is the matter under consideration in this paper. A selected number of coarse-mesh finite-difference reduction schemes are described and compared. Numerical calculations are utilised to illustrate the differences in the adjoint solutions as well as to appraise the impact on such common applications as the computation of core point kinetics parameters. Recommendations are made for the proper application of the coarse-mesh finite-difference reduction approach to the nodal mathematical adjoint problem

Complex models of nodal nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufek, Jan

2011-01-01

During the core simulations, nuclear data are required at various nodal thermal-hydraulic and fuel burnup conditions. The nodal data are also partially affected by thermal-hydraulic and fuel burnup conditions in surrounding nodes as these change the neutron energy spectrum in the node. Therefore, the nodal data are functions of many parameters (state variables), and the more state variables are considered by the nodal data models the more accurate and flexible the models get. The existing table and polynomial regression models, however, cannot reflect the data dependences on many state variables. As for the table models, the number of mesh points (and necessary lattice calculations) grows exponentially with the number of variables. As for the polynomial regression models, the number of possible multivariate polynomials exceeds the limits of existing selection algorithms that should identify a few dozens of the most important polynomials. Also, the standard scheme of lattice calculations is not convenient for modelling the data dependences on various burnup conditions since it performs only a single or few burnup calculations at fixed nominal conditions. We suggest a new efficient algorithm for selecting the most important multivariate polynomials for the polynomial regression models so that dependences on many state variables can be considered. We also present a new scheme for lattice calculations where a large number of burnup histories are accomplished at varied nodal conditions. The number of lattice calculations being performed and the number of polynomials being analysed are controlled and minimised while building the nodal data models of a required accuracy. (author)

Nodal metastasis in thyroid cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel, A.M.

1999-01-01

The biological behavior and hence the prognosis of thyroid cancer (TC) depends among other factors on the extent of spread of the disease outside the thyroid bed. This effect is controversial, especially for nodal metastasis of well differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDC). Nodal metastasis at the time of initial diagnosis behaves differently depending on the histology, age of the patient, presence of extrathyroidal extension, and the sex of the individual. The type of the surgery, administration of 131 I and thyroxin suppression also to some extent influence the rate of recurrence and mortality. Experience has shown that it is not as innocuous as a small intrathyroidal tumor without any invasion outside the thyroid bed and due consideration should be accorded to the management strategies for handling patients with nodal metastasis

Patterns of failure after postoperative radiotherapy for incompletely resected (R1) non-small cell lung cancer: implications for radiation target volume design.

Science.gov (United States)

Olszyna-Serementa, Marta; Socha, Joanna; Wierzchowski, Marek; Kępka, Lucyna

2013-05-01

Overall survival (OS) and pattern of failure in R1-resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with 3D-planned postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) was retrospectively evaluated. The outcomes and patterns of failure in patients with (+) and without (-) extracapsular nodal extension (ECE) were compared and analyzed with respect to the radiation target volume design. Eighty R1-resected (37 ECE+ and 43 ECE-) patients received PORT (60Gy, 2Gy daily) between 2002 and 2011. Patients with N2 disease received limited elective nodal irradiation (ENI); for pN0-1 disease the use of ENI was optional. Among ECE- (extranodal-R1) patients there were 35 pN0-1 and eight pN2 cases; in pN0-1 patients, patterns of failure and outcomes were analyzed with respect to the use of ENI. Loco-regional failure (LRF) was defined as in-field relapse; isolated nodal failure (INF) was defined as out-of-field regional nodal recurrence occurring without LRF, irrespective of distant metastases. The actuarial 3-year OS rate was 36.3% (median: 30 months). Three-year OS rates in the ECE- and ECE+ group were 40.4% and 31.4%, with median OS of 31 and 24 months, respectively (p=0.43). In multivariate analysis, the presence of ECE was correlated with OS (HR=3.02; 95% CI: 1.00-9.16; p=0.05). Three-year cumulative incidence of LRF (CILRF) was 14.5% and 15.5% in the ECE- and ECE+ groups, respectively (p=0.98). Three-year cumulative incidence of INF (CIINF) was 14.1% in the ECE- group and 11.1% in the ECE+ group (p=0.76). For pN0-1 patients treated with and without ENI (13 and 22 patients) 3-year CILRF rates were 7.7% and 20.8%, respectively (p=0.20); 3-year CIINF rates were 9.1% and 16.3%, respectively (p=0.65). PORT resulted in a relatively good survival of R1-resected NSCLC patients. Relatively high incidence of INF was found in both ECE+ and ECE- patients. For ECE+ patients, treated with limited ENI, distant failure remains a major concern, so the design of ENI fields seems of lesser

Sensitivity of SBLOCA analysis to model nodalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, C.; Ito, T.; Abramson, P.B.

1983-01-01

The recent Semiscale test S-UT-8 indicates the possibility for primary liquid to hang up in the steam generators during a SBLOCA, permitting core uncovery prior to loop-seal clearance. In analysis of Small Break Loss of Coolant Accidents with RELAP5, it is found that resultant transient behavior is quite sensitive to the selection of nodalization for the steam generators. Although global parameters such as integrated mass loss, primary inventory and primary pressure are relatively insensitive to the nodalization, it is found that the predicted distribution of inventory around the primary is significantly affected by nodalization. More detailed nodalization predicts that more of the inventory tends to remain in the steam generators, resulting in less inventory in the reactor vessel and therefore causing earlier and more severe core uncovery

Impact of radiation dose and standardized uptake value of (18)FDG PET on nodal control in locally advanced cervical cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramlov, Anne; Kroon, Petra S; Jürgenliemk-Schulz, Ina M

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Despite local control now exceeding 90% with image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT), regional and distant metastases continue to curb survival in locally advanced cervical cancer. As regional lymph nodes often represent first site of metastatic spread, improved nodal control could...... improve survival. The aim of this study was to examine optimal volume and dose of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to maximize regional control including dose contribution from IGABT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total 139 patients from the EMBRACE study were analyzed. Individual nodal dose was determined...

Nodal in computerized control systems of accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagarmanov, A.A.; Koval'tsov, V.I.; Korobov, S.A.

1994-01-01

Brief description of the Nodal language programming structure is presented. Its possibilities as high-level programming language for accelerator control systems are considered. The status of the Nodal language in the HEPI is discussed. 3 refs

Nodal pricing in a coupled electricity market

OpenAIRE

Bjørndal, Endre; Bjørndal, Mette; Cai, Hong

2014-01-01

This paper investigates a pricing model for an electricity market with a hybrid congestion management method, i.e. part of the system applies a nodal pricing scheme and the rest applies a zonal pricing scheme. The model clears the zonal and nodal pricing areas simultaneously. The nodal pricing area is affected by the changes in the zonal pricing area since it is directly connected to the zonal pricing area by commercial trading. The model is tested on a 13-node power system. Within the area t...

Three-dimensional conformal radiation may deliver considerable dose of incidental nodal irradiation in patients with early stage node-negative non-small cell lung cancer when the tumor is large and centrally located

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Lujun; Chen Ming; Haken, Randall ten; Chetty, Indrin; Chapet, Olivier; Hayman, James A.; Kong Fengming

2007-01-01

Background and purpose: To determine the dose to regional nodal stations in patients with T 1-3 N 0 M 0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) without intentional elective nodal irradiation (ENI). Materials and methods: Twenty-three patients with medically inoperable T 1-3 N 0 M 0 NSCLC were treated with 3DCRT without ENI. Hilar and mediastinal nodal regions were contoured on planning CT. The prescription dose was normalized to 70 Gy. Equivalent uniform dose (EUD) and other dosimetric parameters (e.g., V 40 ) were calculated for each nodal station. Results: The median EUD for the whole group ranged from 0.4 to 4.4 Gy for all elective nodal regions. Gross tumor volume (GTV) and the relationship between GTV and hilum were significantly correlated with irradiation dose to ipsilateral hilar nodal regions (P 3 (diameter ∼ 4 cm) and or having any overlap with hilum, the median EUDs were 9.6, 22.6, and 62.9 Gy for ipsilateral lower paratracheal, subcarinal, and ipsilateral hilar regions, respectively. The corresponding median V 40 were 32.5%, 39.3%, and 97.6%, respectively. Conclusions: Although incidental nodal irradiation dose is low in the whole group, the dose to high-risk nodal regions is considerable in patients with T 1-3 N 0 NSCLC when the primary is large and/or centrally located

Nodal Diffusion Burnable Poison Treatment for Prismatic Reactor Cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ougouag, A.M.; Ferrer, R.M.

2010-01-01

The prismatic block version of the High Temperature Reactor (HTR) considered as a candidate Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR)design may use burnable poison pins in locations at some corners of the fuel blocks (i.e., assembly equivalent structures). The presence of any highly absorbing materials, such as these burnable poisons, within fuel blocks for hexagonal geometry, graphite-moderated High Temperature Reactors (HTRs) causes a local inter-block flux depression that most nodal diffusion-based method have failed to properly model or otherwise represent. The location of these burnable poisons near vertices results in an asymmetry in the morphology of the assemblies (or blocks). Hence the resulting inadequacy of traditional homogenization methods, as these 'spread' the actually local effect of the burnable poisons throughout the assembly. Furthermore, the actual effect of the burnable poison is primarily local with influence in its immediate vicinity, which happens to include a small region within the same assembly as well as similar regions in the adjacent assemblies. Traditional homogenization methods miss this artifact entirely. This paper presents a novel method for treating the local effect of the burnable poison explicitly in the context of a modern nodal method.

The orphan receptor ALK7 and the Activin receptor ALK4 mediate signaling by Nodal proteins during vertebrate development

Science.gov (United States)

Reissmann, Eva; Jörnvall, Henrik; Blokzijl, Andries; Andersson, Olov; Chang, Chenbei; Minchiotti, Gabriella; Persico, M. Graziella; Ibáñez, Carlos F.; Brivanlou, Ali H.

2001-01-01

Nodal proteins have crucial roles in mesendoderm formation and left–right patterning during vertebrate development. The molecular mechanisms of signal transduction by Nodal and related ligands, however, are not fully understood. In this paper, we present biochemical and functional evidence that the orphan type I serine/threonine kinase receptor ALK7 acts as a receptor for mouse Nodal and Xenopus Nodal-related 1 (Xnr1). Receptor reconstitution experiments indicate that ALK7 collaborates with ActRIIB to confer responsiveness to Xnr1 and Nodal. Both receptors can independently bind Xnr1. In addition, Cripto, an extracellular protein genetically implicated in Nodal signaling, can independently interact with both Xnr1 and ALK7, and its expression greatly enhances the ability of ALK7 and ActRIIB to respond to Nodal ligands. The Activin receptor ALK4 is also able to mediate Nodal signaling but only in the presence of Cripto, with which it can also interact directly. A constitutively activated form of ALK7 mimics the mesendoderm-inducing activity of Xnr1 in Xenopus embryos, whereas a dominant-negative ALK7 specifically blocks the activities of Nodal and Xnr1 but has little effect on other related ligands. In contrast, a dominant-negative ALK4 blocks all mesoderm-inducing ligands tested, including Nodal, Xnr1, Xnr2, Xnr4, and Activin. In agreement with a role in Nodal signaling, ALK7 mRNA is localized to the ectodermal and organizer regions of Xenopus gastrula embryos and is expressed during early stages of mouse embryonic development. Therefore, our results indicate that both ALK4 and ALK7 can mediate signal transduction by Nodal proteins, although ALK7 appears to be a receptor more specifically dedicated to Nodal signaling. PMID:11485994

Patterns of failure following bone marrow transplantation for metastatic breast cancer: the role of consolidative local therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Amit B.; Hartsell, William F.; Ghalie, Richard; Kaizer, Herbert

1995-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the patterns of failure and the role of local therapy in conjunction with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for metastatic or recurrent breast cancer. Methods and Materials: Between June 1986 and November 1991, 46 patients with hormone unresponsive metastatic or recurrent breast cancer underwent high dose chemotherapy (HDC) with hematopoietic stem cell support. The most commonly used preparative regimen consisted of thiotepa (750 mg/m 2 ), cisplatin (150 mg/m 2 ), and cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) followed by autologous BMT. Consolidative surgery or irradiation was considered in patients whose cancer responded to BMT and had localized sites of disease. Results: Six patients (13%) died of BMT-related complications. Of the remaining 40 patients, 22 were candidates for consolidative therapy, and 18 of those patients received consolidative irradiation (17 patients) or surgery (1 patient) to one or more sites. At median follow-up of 27 months (range, 20-78), 12 of 18 (67%) patients have continuous local control at the 22 consolidated sites (1 of 4 controlled at chest wall sites, 7 of 8 at regional nodal sites, 7 of 7 at localized bone sites, and 1 of 3 at lung/mediastinal sites). Toxicity of consolidative irradiation was mainly limited to myelosuppression in 6 of 17 patients. Two patients did not complete the consolidative local therapy, one because of hematologic toxicity and one because of rapid systemic tumor progression during treatment. Conclusion: In patients with localized areas of extravisceral metastases, consolidative irradiation is feasible with acceptable hematologic toxicity. Consolidative irradiation can result in continuous local control, especially in isolated bone metastases and in regional nodal sites; however, the advantage is less clear in patients undergoing consolidative irradiation for chest wall failures. Because distant visceral metastases still remain a major site of failure after this HDC

Proton beam radiotherapy as part of comprehensive regional nodal irradiation for locally advanced breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Vivek; Iftekaruddin, Zaid; Badar, Nida; Hartsell, William; Han-Chih Chang, John; Gondi, Vinai; Pankuch, Mark; Gao, Ming; Schmidt, Stacey; Kaplan, Darren; McGee, Lisa

2017-05-01

This study evaluates acute toxicity outcomes in breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant proton beam therapy (PBT). From 2011 to 2016, 91 patients (93 cancers) were treated with adjuvant PBT targeting the intact breast/chest wall and comprehensive regional nodes including the axilla, supraclavicular fossa, and internal mammary lymph nodes. Toxicity was recorded weekly during treatment, one month following treatment, and then every 6months according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v4.0. Charts were retrospectively reviewed to verify toxicities, patient parameters, disease and treatment characteristics, and disease-related outcomes. Median follow-up was 15.5months. Median PBT dose was 50.4 Gray relative biological effectiveness (GyRBE), with subsequent boost as clinically indicated (N=61, median 10 GyRBE). Chemotherapy, when administered, was given adjuvantly (N=42) or neoadjuvantly (N=46). Grades 1, 2, and 3 dermatitis occurred in 23%, 72%, and 5%, respectively. Eight percent required treatment breaks owing to dermatitis. Median time to resolution of dermatitis was 32days. Grades 1, 2, and 3 esophagitis developed in 31%, 33%, and 0%, respectively. PBT displays acceptable toxicity in the setting of comprehensive regional nodal irradiation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Development of a code in three-dimensional cylindrical geometry based on analytic function expansion nodal (AFEN) method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joo Hee

2006-02-01

There is growing interest in developing pebble bed reactors (PBRs) as a candidate of very high temperature gas-cooled reactors (VHTRs). Until now, most existing methods of nuclear design analysis for this type of reactors are base on old finite-difference solvers or on statistical methods. But for realistic analysis of PBRs, there is strong desire of making available high fidelity nodal codes in three-dimensional (r,θ,z) cylindrical geometry. Recently, the Analytic Function Expansion Nodal (AFEN) method developed quite extensively in Cartesian (x,y,z) geometry and in hexagonal-z geometry was extended to two-group (r,z) cylindrical geometry, and gave very accurate results. In this thesis, we develop a method for the full three-dimensional cylindrical (r,θ,z) geometry and implement the method into a code named TOPS. The AFEN methodology in this geometry as in hexagonal geometry is 'robus' (e.g., no occurrence of singularity), due to the unique feature of the AFEN method that it does not use the transverse integration. The transverse integration in the usual nodal methods, however, leads to an impasse, that is, failure of the azimuthal term to be transverse-integrated over r-z surface. We use 13 nodal unknowns in an outer node and 7 nodal unknowns in an innermost node. The general solution of the node can be expressed in terms of that nodal unknowns, and can be updated using the nodal balance equation and the current continuity condition. For more realistic analysis of PBRs, we implemented em Marshak boundary condition to treat the incoming current zero boundary condition and the partial current translation (PCT) method to treat voids in the core. The TOPS code was verified in the various numerical tests derived from Dodds problem and PBMR-400 benchmark problem. The results of the TOPS code show high accuracy and fast computing time than the VENTURE code that is based on finite difference method (FDM)

Patterns of local-regional failure after primary intensity modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, Fangfang; Ying, Hongmei; Du, Chengrun; Huang, Shuang; Zhou, Junjun; Chen, Junchao; Sun, Lining; Chen, Xiaohui; Hu, Chaosu

2014-01-01

To analyze patterns of local-regional failure after primary intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 370 non-metastatic NPC patients consecutively treated with IMRT (with or without chemotherapy) were analyzed. Radiotherapy was administered using a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique at the total prescribed dose of 66-70.4Gy (2.0-2.2Gy per fraction). The location and extent of local-regional failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography (CT) for dosimetric analysis. The dose of radiation received by V recur (volume of recurrence) was calculated and analyzed with dose-volume histogram (DVH). Failures were classified as: 'in field' if 95% of V recur was within the 95% isodose, 'marginal' if 20% to 95% of V recur was within the 95% isodose, or 'outside' if less than 20% of V recur was inside the 95% isodose. With a median follow up of 26 months, 25 local-regional failures were found in 18 patients. The 1- and 2-year actuarial local-regional control rates for all patients were 99.7% and 95.5% respectively. Among the 22 local–regional failures with available diagnostic images, 16 (64%) occurred within the 95% isodose lines and were considered in-field failures; 3 (12%) were marginal and 3 (12%) were outside-field failures. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy provides excellent local-regional control for NPC. In-field failures are the main patterns for local-regional recurrence. Reducing the coverage of critical adjacent tissues in CTV purposefully for potential subclinical diseases was worth of study. Great attention in all IMRT steps is necessary to reduce potential causes of marginal failures. More studies about radioresistance are needed to reduce in-field failures

An adaptive mesh refinement approach for average current nodal expansion method in 2-D rectangular geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poursalehi, N.; Zolfaghari, A.; Minuchehr, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A new adaptive h-refinement approach has been developed for a class of nodal method. ► The resulting system of nodal equations is more amenable to efficient numerical solution. ► The benefit of the approach is reducing computational efforts relative to the uniform fine mesh modeling. ► Spatially adaptive approach greatly enhances the accuracy of the solution. - Abstract: The aim of this work is to develop a spatially adaptive coarse mesh strategy that progressively refines the nodes in appropriate regions of domain to solve the neutron balance equation by zeroth order nodal expansion method. A flux gradient based a posteriori estimation scheme has been utilized for checking the approximate solutions for various nodes. The relative surface net leakage of nodes has been considered as an assessment criterion. In this approach, the core module is called in by adaptive mesh generator to determine gradients of node surfaces flux to explore the possibility of node refinements in appropriate regions and directions of the problem. The benefit of the approach is reducing computational efforts relative to the uniform fine mesh modeling. For this purpose, a computer program ANRNE-2D, Adaptive Node Refinement Nodal Expansion, has been developed to solve neutron diffusion equation using average current nodal expansion method for 2D rectangular geometries. Implementing the adaptive algorithm confirms its superiority in enhancing the accuracy of the solution without using fine nodes throughout the domain and increasing the number of unknown solution. Some well-known benchmarks have been investigated and improvements are reported

The adjoint variational nodal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laurin-Kovitz, K.; Lewis, E.E.

1993-01-01

The widespread use of nodal methods for reactor core calculations in both diffusion and transport approximations has created a demand for the corresponding adjoint solutions as a prerequisite for performing perturbation calculations. With some computational methods, however, the solution of the adjoint problem presents a difficulty; the physical adjoint obtained by discretizing the adjoint equation is not the same as the mathematical adjoint obtained by taking the transpose of the coefficient matrix, which results from the discretization of the forward equation. This difficulty arises, in particular, when interface current nodal methods based on quasi-one-dimensional solution of the diffusion or transport equation are employed. The mathematical adjoint is needed to perform perturbation calculations. The utilization of existing nodal computational algorithms, however, requires the physical adjoint. As a result, similarity transforms or related techniques must be utilized to relate physical and mathematical adjoints. Thus far, such techniques have been developed only for diffusion theory

Topological transport in Dirac nodal-line semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Rui, W. B.; Zhao, Y. X.; Schnyder, Andreas P.

2018-04-01

Topological nodal-line semimetals are characterized by one-dimensional Dirac nodal rings that are protected by the combined symmetry of inversion P and time-reversal T . The stability of these Dirac rings is guaranteed by a quantized ±π Berry phase and their low-energy physics is described by a one-parameter family of (2+1)-dimensional quantum field theories exhibiting the parity anomaly. Here we study the Berry-phase supported topological transport of P T -invariant nodal-line semimetals. We find that small inversion breaking allows for an electric-field-induced anomalous transverse current, whose universal component originates from the parity anomaly. Due to this Hall-like current, carriers at opposite sides of the Dirac nodal ring flow to opposite surfaces when an electric field is applied. To detect the topological currents, we propose a dumbbell device, which uses surface states to filter charges based on their momenta. Suggestions for experiments and device applications are discussed.

Impacts of Contingency Reserve on Nodal Price and Nodal Reliability Risk in Deregulated Power Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Qian; Wang, Peng; Goel, Lalit

2013-01-01

The deregulation of power systems allows customers to participate in power market operation. In deregulated power systems, nodal price and nodal reliability are adopted to represent locational operation cost and reliability performance. Since contingency reserve (CR) plays an important role...... in reliable operation, the CR commitment should be considered in operational reliability analysis. In this paper, a CR model based on customer reliability requirements has been formulated and integrated into power market settlement. A two-step market clearing process has been proposed to determine generation...

Nodal coupling by response matrix principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ancona, A.; Becker, M.; Beg, M.D.; Harris, D.R.; Menezes, A.D.; VerPlanck, D.M.; Pilat, E.

1977-01-01

The response matrix approach has been used in viewing a reactor node in isolation and in characterizing the node by reflection and trans-emission factors. These are then used to generate invariant imbedding parameters, which in turn are used in a nodal reactor simulator code to compute core power distributions in two and three dimensions. Various nodal techniques are analyzed and converted into a single invariant imbedding formalism

Details of recurrence sites after elective nodal irradiation (ENI) using 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) combined with chemotherapy for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma--a retrospective analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Hideomi; Okuma, Kae; Wakui, Reiko; Kobayashi-Shibata, Shino; Ohtomo, Kuni; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2011-02-01

To describe patterns of recurrence of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) using 3D-conformal radiotherapy. One hundred and twenty-six consecutive patients with stages I-IVB thoracic esophageal SqCC newly diagnosed between June 2000 and July 2009 and treated with 3D-CRT in our institution were recruited from our database. Definitive CRT consisted of two cycles of nedaplatin/5FU repeated every 4 weeks, with concurrent radiation therapy of 50-50.4 Gy in 25-28 fractions. Until completion, radiotherapy was delivered to the N1 and M1a lymph nodes as ENI in addition to gross tumor volume. All 126 patients were included in this analysis, and their tumors were staged as follows: T1/T2/T3/T4, 28/18/54/26; N0/N1, 50/76; M0/M1a/M1b, 91/5/30. The mean follow-up period for the 63 surviving patients was 28.3 (±22.8) months. Eighty-seven patients (69%) achieved complete response (CR) without any residual tumor at least once after completion of CRT. After achieving CR, each of 40 patients experienced failures (local=20 and distant=20) and no patient experienced elective nodal failure without having any other site of recurrence. The upper thoracic esophageal carcinoma showed significantly more (34%) relapses at the local site than the middle (9%) or lower thoracic (11%) carcinomas. The 2-year and 3-year overall survival was 56% and 43%, respectively. The 1-year, 2-year and 3-year disease-free survival was 46%, 38% and 33%, respectively. In CRT for esophageal SqCC, ENI was effective for preventing regional nodal failure. The upper thoracic esophageal carcinomas had significantly more local recurrences than the middle or lower thoracic sites. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

De Novo Nodal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Identification of Biologic Prognostic Factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd El-Hameed, A.

2005-01-01

Diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most frequent type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Although combination chemotherapy has improved the outcome, long-term cure is now possible for approximately 50% of all patients. making the search for parameters identifying patients at high risk particularly needed. The presence of bcl-2 gene rearrangement in de novo DLBCL suggests a possible follicle center cell origin and perhaps a distinct clinical behavior. This study investigated the frequency and prognostic significance of t( 14; 18) translocation and bcl-2 protein overexpression in a cohort of patients with de novo nodal DLBCL who where uniformly evaluated and treated. Material and Methods: A total of 40 patients with de novo nodal DLBCL treated at National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo University were investigated. Formal infixed, paraffin-embedded sections were analyzed for: I) bcl-2 gene rearrangement including major break point region (mbr) and minor cluster region (mcr) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). and 2) bcl-2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry using Dako 124 clone. Results were correlated with the clinical features and subsequent clinical course. Bcl-2 gene rearrangement was detected in 8 cases (20%). 2 cases at mbr, and 6 cases at mcr. Bcl-2 protein (> I 0%) was expressed in 24 cases (60%), irrespective of the presence of t( 14; 18) translocation. The t( 14; 18), and bcl-2 protein overexpression were more frequently associated with failure to achieve a complete response to therapy (ρ=0.008. and 0.04. respectively). DLBCL patients with t(14;18), and bcl-2 protein expression had a significantly reduced 5-year disease free survival (ρ=0.04, and 0.01, respectively). The t( 14; 18) translocation, and bcl-2 protein expression define a group of DLBCL patients with a poor prognosis, and could be used to tailor treatment, and to identify candidates for therapeutic approaches. Geographic differences in t(14;18) may be related to the

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary: Outcomes of a pre-defined institutional treatment policy in a region with a high prevalence of skin cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Michael; Panizza, Benedict; Bernard, Anne; Porceddu, Sandro V

2018-02-01

To determine the rate of subsequent primary site failure in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (UKP HNSCC) in a region with a high prevalence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, according to a pre-determined institutional policy. Secondary aims included regional and distant control, and overall survival. Patients presenting between April 2005 and June 2016 to the Princess Alexandra Hospital Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Meeting with UKP HNSCC from either presumed mucosal or cutaneous sites treated with curative intent were eligible. Patients with presumed mucosal origin were treated with radiation therapy (RT) with or without chemotherapy, while patients with presumed cutaneous SCC were treated with surgery and post-operative RT with or without chemotherapy. A total of 63 patients met the inclusion criteria. Median follow up duration was 3.9 years (IQR 2.07-5.14). There were no subsequent primary site failures. The rate of nodal failure among presumed mucosal patients was 11.5%, and 8.1% among presumed cutaneous patients. The rate of distant metastatic failure was 11.1% among all patients. The estimated 5 year overall survival was 71.2% (95% CI 59.2-85.7%). Treatment according to our pre-defined institutional policy for UKP HNSCC in a region with a high prevalence of cutaneous SCC appears to be safe and effective with low rates of mucosal primary emergence and nodal failure. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The analytic nodal method in cylindrical geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinsloo, Rian H.; Tomasevic, Djordje I.

2008-01-01

Nodal diffusion methods have been used extensively in nuclear reactor calculations, specifically for their performance advantage, but also for their superior accuracy. More specifically, the Analytic Nodal Method (ANM), utilising the transverse integration principle, has been applied to numerous reactor problems with much success. In this work, a nodal diffusion method is developed for cylindrical geometry. Application of this method to three-dimensional (3D) cylindrical geometry has never been satisfactorily addressed and we propose a solution which entails the use of conformal mapping. A set of 1D-equations with an adjusted, geometrically dependent, inhomogeneous source, is obtained. This work describes the development of the method and associated test code, as well as its application to realistic reactor problems. Numerical results are given for the PBMR-400 MW benchmark problem, as well as for a 'cylindrisized' version of the well-known 3D LWR IAEA benchmark. Results highlight the improved accuracy and performance over finite-difference core solutions and investigate the applicability of nodal methods to 3D PBMR type problems. Results indicate that cylindrical nodal methods definitely have a place within PBMR applications, yielding performance advantage factors of 10 and 20 for 2D and 3D calculations, respectively, and advantage factors of the order of 1000 in the case of the LWR problem

Image and Substance Failures in Regional Organisations: Causes, Consequences, Learning and Change?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Hsuan Chou

2016-08-01

Full Text Available States often pool their sovereignty, capacity and resources to provide regionally specific public goods, such as security or trade rules, and regional organisations play important roles in international relations as institutions that attempt to secure peace and contribute to achieving other similar global policy goals. We observe failures occurring in these arrangements and activities in two areas: substance and image. To analytically account for this, we distinguish four modes of substance and image change and link these to specific types of failure and (lack of learning. To empirically ground and test our assumptions, we examine instances of image failure in ASEAN (political/security policy and substantive policy failure in EU labour migration policy. In so doing, this article contributes to several different fields of study and concepts that have hitherto rarely engaged with one another: analyses of policy failure from public policy, and regional integration concerns from area studies and international relations. We conclude with suggestions for ways forward to further analyse and understand failures at the international and supranational levels.

47 CFR 101.503 - Digital Electronic Message Service Nodal Stations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Service § 101.503 Digital Electronic Message Service Nodal Stations. 10.6 GHz DEMS Nodal Stations may be... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Digital Electronic Message Service Nodal Stations. 101.503 Section 101.503 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY...

A Hennart nodal method for the diffusion equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesaint, P.; Noceir, S.; Verwaerde, D.

1995-01-01

A modification of the Hennart nodal method for neutron diffusion problems is presented. The final system of equations obtained by this method is not positive definite. However, a flux elimination technique leads to a simple positive definite system, which can be solved by the traditional iterative methods. Calculations of a two-dimensional International Atomic Energy Agency benchmark problem are performed and compared with results of the original Hennart nodal method and some finite element methods. The high computational efficiency of this modified nodal method is clearly demonstrated

Nodal lymphomas of the abdomen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruneton, J.N.; Caramella, E.; Manzino, J.J.

1986-01-01

Modern imaging modalities have greatly contributed to current knowledge about intra-abdominal nodal lymphomas. Since both intra and retroperitoneal node involvement can be demonstrated by computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography, it seems legitimate to treat these two sites together in the same chapter, particularly since the older separation between intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal nodal disease was based to a large degree on the limitations of lymphography. Hodgkin's disease (HD) has benefited less from recent technological advances. The diversity in the incidence of nodal involvement between HD and NHL, the diagnostic capabilities of modern imaging techniques, and the histopathological features of lymphomatous non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin nodes, justify adoption of an investigatory approach which takes all of these factors into account. Details of this investigative strategy are discussed in this paper following a review of available imaging modalities. In current practice, the four main methods for the exploration of abdominal lymph nodes are lymphography, ultrasonography, CT, and radionuclide studies. The first three techniques are also utilized to guide biopsies for staging purposes and for the evaluation of response to treatment

Investigation on generalized Variational Nodal Methods for heterogeneous nodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yongping; Wu, Hongchun; Li, Yunzhao; Cao, Liangzhi; Shen, Wei

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We developed two heterogeneous nodal methods based on the Variational Nodal Method. • Four problems were solved to evaluate the two heterogeneous nodal methods. • The function expansion method is good at treating continuous-changing heterogeneity. • The finite sub-element method is good at treating discontinuous-changing heterogeneity. - Abstract: The Variational Nodal Method (VNM) is generalized for heterogeneous nodes and applied to four kinds of problems including Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) core problem with continuous cross section profile, Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) control rod cusping effect problem, PWR whole-core pin-by-pin problem, and heterogeneous PWR core problem without fuel-coolant homogenization in each pin cell. Two approaches have been investigated for the treatment of the nodal heterogeneity in this paper. To concentrate on spatial heterogeneity, diffusion approximation was adopted for the angular variable in neutron transport equation. To provide demonstrative numerical results, the codes in this paper were developed in slab geometry. The first method, named as function expansion (FE) method, expands nodal flux by orthogonal polynomials and the nodal cross sections are also expressed as spatial depended functions. The second path, named as finite sub-element (FS) method, takes advantage of the finite-element method by dividing each node into numbers of homogeneous sub-elements and expanding nodal flux into the combination of linear sub-element trial functions. Numerical tests have been carried out to evaluate the ability of the two nodal (coarse-mesh) heterogeneous VNMs by comparing with the fine-mesh homogeneous VNM. It has been demonstrated that both heterogeneous approaches can handle heterogeneous nodes. The FE method is good at continuous-changing heterogeneity as in the MSR core problem, while the FS method is good at discontinuous-changing heterogeneity such as the PWR pin-by-pin problem and heterogeneous PWR core

Constraining the brachial plexus does not compromise regional control in oropharyngeal carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert, Mutter W; Wolden, Suzanne L; Lee, Nancy Y; Lok, Benjamin H; Dutta, Pinaki R; Riaz, Nadeem; Setton, Jeremy; Berry, Sean L; Goenka, Anuj; Zhang, Zhigang; Rao, Shyam S

2013-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that brachial plexopathy following head and neck cancer radiotherapy may be underreported and that this toxicity is associated with a dose–response. Our purpose was to determine whether the dose to the brachial plexus (BP) can be constrained, without compromising regional control. The radiation plans of 324 patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were reviewed. We identified 42 patients (13%) with gross nodal disease <1 cm from the BP. Normal tissue constraints included a maximum dose of 66 Gy and a D 05 of 60 Gy for the BP. These criteria took precedence over planning target volume (PTV) coverage of nodal disease near the BP. There was only one regional failure in the vicinity of the BP, salvaged with neck dissection (ND) and regional re-irradiation. There have been no reported episodes of brachial plexopathy to date. In combined-modality therapy, including ND as salvage, regional control did not appear to be compromised by constraining the dose to the BP. This approach may improve the therapeutic ratio by reducing the long-term risk of brachial plexopathy

Incremental Cancer Detection of Locoregional Restaging with Diagnostic Mammography Combined with Whole-Breast and Regional Nodal Ultrasound in Women with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Candelaria, Rosalind P; Huang, Monica L; Adrada, Beatriz E; Bassett, Roland; Hunt, Kelly K; Kuerer, Henry M; Smith, Benjamin D; Chavez-MacGregor, Mariana; Yang, Wei Tse

2017-02-01

This study aims to determine if locoregional restaging with diagnostic mammography and ultrasound (US) of the whole breast and regional nodes performed for quality assurance in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who were referred to a tertiary care center yields incremental cancer detection. An institutional review board-approved retrospective, single-institution database review was performed on the first 1000 women referred to our center in 2010 with a provisional breast cancer diagnosis. Locoregional restaging consisted of diagnostic full-field digital mammography combined with US of the whole breast and regional nodal basins. Bilateral whole-breast US was performed in women with contralateral mammographic abnormality or had heterogeneously or extremely dense parenchyma. Demographic, clinical, and pathologic factors were analyzed. Final analyses included 401 women. Of the 401 women, 138 (34%) did not have their outside images available for review upon referral. The median age was 54 years (range 21-92); the median tumor size was 2.9 cm (range 0.6-18.0) for women whose disease was upstaged and 2.2 cm (range 0.4-15.0) for women whose disease was not upstaged. Incremental cancer detection rates were 15.5% (62 of 401) in the ipsilateral breast and 3.9% (6 of 154) in the contralateral breast (P breast and regional nodal US that is performed for standardization of the imaging workup for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients can reduce underestimation of disease burden and impact therapeutic planning. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of elective nodal irradiation for esthesioneuroblastoma patients with clinically negative neck.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wen; Mohamed, Abdallah S R; Fuller, Clifton David; Kim, Betty Y S; Tang, Chad; Gunn, G Brandon; Hanna, Ehab Y; Frank, Steven J; Su, Shirley Y; Diaz, Eduardo; Kupferman, Michael E; Beadle, Beth M; Morrison, William H; Skinner, Heath; Lai, Stephen Y; El-Naggar, Adel K; DeMonte, Franco; Rosenthal, David I; Garden, Adam S; Phan, Jack

2016-01-01

Although adjuvant radiation to the tumor bed has been reported to improve the clinic outcomes of esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) patients, the role of elective neck irradiation (ENI) in clinically node-negative (N0) patients remains controversial. Here, we evaluated the effects of ENI on neck nodal relapse risk in ENB patients treated with radiation therapy as a component of multimodality treatment. Seventy-one N0 ENB patients irradiated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1970 and 2013 were identified. ENI was performed on 22 of these patients (31%). Survival analysis was performed with focus on comparative outcomes of those patients who did and did not receive ENI. The median follow-up time for our cohort is 80.8 months (range, 6-350 months). Among N0 patients, 13 (18.3%) developed neck nodal relapses, with a median time to progression of 62.5 months. None of these 13 patients received prophylactic neck irradiation. ENI was associated with significantly improved regional nodal control at 5 years (regional control rate of 100% for ENI vs 82%, P ENI developed isolated neck recurrences. All had further treatment for their neck disease, including neck dissection (n = 10), radiation (n = 10), or chemotherapy (n = 5). Six of these 11 patients (54.5%) demonstrated no evidence of further recurrence with a median follow-up of 55.5 months. ENI significantly reduces the risk of cervical nodal recurrence in ENB patients with clinically N0 neck, but this did not translate to a survival benefit. Multimodality treatment for isolated neck recurrence provides a reasonable salvage rate. The greatest benefit for ENI appeared to be among younger patients who presented with Kadish C disease. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of elective-nodal irradiation for esthesioneuroblastoma patients with clinically negative neck

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wen; Mohamed, Abdallah Sherif; Fuller, Clifton David; Kim, Betty Y.S.; Tang, Chad; Gunn, G. Brandon; Hanna, Ehab Y.; Frank, Steven J.; Su, Shirley Y.; Diaz, Eduardo; Kupferman, Michael E.; Beadle, Beth M.; Morrison, William H.; Skinner, Heath; Lai, Stephen Y.; El-Naggar, Adel K.; DeMonte, Franco; Rosenthal, David I.; Garden, Adam S.; Phan, Jack

2017-01-01

Purpose Although adjuvant radiation to the tumor bed has been reported to improve the clinic outcomes of esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) patients, the role of elective neck irradiation (ENI) in clinically node negative (N0) patients remains controversial. Here, we evaluated the effects of ENI on neck nodal relapse risk in ENB patients treated with radiotherapy as a component of multi-modality treatment. Methods and Materials Seventy-one N0 ENB patients irradiated at XXXXXXXXX between 1970 and 2013 were identified. ENI was performed on 22 of these patients (31%). Survival analysis was performed with focus on comparative outcomes of those patients who did and did not receive ENI. Results The median follow up time for our cohort is 80.8 months (range 6 – 350 month). Among N0 patients, 13 (18.3%) developed neck nodal relapses, with a median time to progression of 62.5 months. None of these 13 patients received prophylactic neck irradiation. ENI was associated with significantly improved regional nodal control at 5-year (regional control rate of 100% for ENI vs 82%, p ENI developed isolated neck recurrences. All had further treatment for their neck disease, including neck dissection (n=10), radiation (n=10), or chemotherapy (n=5). Six of these 11 patients (54.5%) demonstrated no evidence of further recurrence with a median follow up of 55.5 month. Conclusion ENI significantly reduces the risk of cervical nodal recurrence in ENB patients with clinically N0 neck but this did not translate to a survival benefit. Multimodality treatment for isolated neck recurrence provides a reasonable salvage rate. The greatest benefit for ENI appeared to be among younger patients who presented with Kadish C disease. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. PMID:26979544

Development and qualification of a thermal-hydraulic nodalization for modeling station blackout accident in PSB-VVER test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saghafi, Mahdi [Department of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghofrani, Mohammad Bagher, E-mail: ghofrani@sharif.edu [Department of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); D’Auria, Francesco [San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG), University of Pisa, Via Livornese 1291, San Piero a Grado, Pisa (Italy)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • A thermal-hydraulic nodalization for PSB-VVER test facility has been developed. • Station blackout accident is modeled with the developed nodalization in MELCOR code. • The developed nodalization is qualified at both steady state and transient levels. • MELCOR predictions are qualitatively and quantitatively in acceptable range. • Fast Fourier Transform Base Method is used to quantify accuracy of code predictions. - Abstract: This paper deals with the development of a qualified thermal-hydraulic nodalization for modeling Station Black-Out (SBO) accident in PSB-VVER Integral Test Facility (ITF). This study has been performed in the framework of a research project, aiming to develop an appropriate accident management support tool for Bushehr nuclear power plant. In this regard, a nodalization has been developed for thermal-hydraulic modeling of the PSB-VVER ITF by MELCOR integrated code. The nodalization is qualitatively and quantitatively qualified at both steady-state and transient levels. The accuracy of the MELCOR predictions is quantified in the transient level using the Fast Fourier Transform Base Method (FFTBM). FFTBM provides an integral representation for quantification of the code accuracy in the frequency domain. It was observed that MELCOR predictions are qualitatively and quantitatively in the acceptable range. In addition, the influence of different nodalizations on MELCOR predictions was evaluated and quantified using FFTBM by developing 8 sensitivity cases with different numbers of control volumes and heat structures in the core region and steam generator U-tubes. The most appropriate case, which provided results with minimum deviations from the experimental data, was then considered as the qualified nodalization for analysis of SBO accident in the PSB-VVER ITF. This qualified nodalization can be used for modeling of VVER-1000 nuclear power plants when performing SBO accident analysis by MELCOR code.

The NODAL system for the SPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowley-Milling, M.C.; Shering, G.C.

1978-01-01

A comprehensive description is given of the NODAL system used for computer control of the CERN Super-Proton Synchrotron. Details are given of NODAL, a high-level programming language based on FOCAL and SNOBOL4, designed for interactive use. It is shown how this interpretive language is used with a network of computers and how it can be extended by adding machine-code modules. The report updates and replaces an earlier one published in 1974. (Auth.)

Radiotherapy studies and extra-nodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas, progress and challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Specht, L

2012-01-01

Extra-nodal lymphomas may arise in any organ, and different histological subtypes occur in distinct patterns. Prognosis and treatment depend not only on the histological subtype and disease extent, but also on the particular involved extra-nodal organ. The clinical course and response to treatment...... for the more common extra-nodal organs, e.g. stomach, Waldeyer's ring, skin and brain, are fairly well known and show significant variation. A few randomised trials have been carried out testing the role of radiotherapy in these lymphomas. However, for most extra-nodal lymphomas, randomised trials have...... not been carried out, and treatment decisions are made on small patient series and extrapolations from nodal lymphomas. Hopefully, wide international collaboration will make controlled clinical trials possible in the less common extra-nodal lymphomas. Modern highly conformal radiotherapy allows better...

A nodal expansion method using conformal mapping for hexagonal geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, Y.A.; Shatilla, Y.A.

1993-01-01

Hexagonal nodal methods adopting the same transverse integration process used for square nodal methods face the subtle theoretical problem that this process leads to highly singular nonphysical terms in the diffusion equation. Lawrence, in developing the DIF3D-N code, tried to approximate the singular terms with relatively simple polynomials. In the HEX-NOD code, Wagner ignored the singularities to simplify the diffusion equation and introduced compensating terms in the nodal equations to restore the nodal balance relation. More recently developed hexagonal nodal codes, such as HEXPE-DITE and the hexagonal version of PANTHER, used methods similar to Wagner's. It will be shown that for light water reactor applications, these two different approximations significantly degraded the accuracy of the respective method as compared to the established square nodal methods. Alternatively, the method of conformal mapping was suggested to map a hexagon to a rectangle, with the unique feature of leaving the diffusion operator invariant, thereby fundamentally resolving the problems associated with transverse integration. This method is now implemented in the Westinghouse hexagonal nodal code ANC-H. In this paper we report on the results of comparing the three methods for a variety of problems via benchmarking against the fine-mesh finite difference code

Programming and isolation of highly pure physiologically and pharmacologically functional sinus-nodal bodies from pluripotent stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Julia Jeannine; Husse, Britta; Rimmbach, Christian; Krebs, Stefan; Stieber, Juliane; Steinhoff, Gustav; Dendorfer, Andreas; Franz, Wolfgang-Michael; David, Robert

2014-05-06

Therapeutic approaches for "sick sinus syndrome" rely on electrical pacemakers, which lack hormone responsiveness and bear hazards such as infection and battery failure. These issues may be overcome via "biological pacemakers" derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Here, we show that forward programming of PSCs with the nodal cell inducer TBX3 plus an additional Myh6-promoter-based antibiotic selection leads to cardiomyocyte aggregates consisting of >80% physiologically and pharmacologically functional pacemaker cells. These induced sinoatrial bodies (iSABs) exhibited highly increased beating rates (300-400 bpm), coming close to those found in mouse hearts, and were able to robustly pace myocardium ex vivo. Our study introduces iSABs as highly pure, functional nodal tissue that is derived from PSCs and may be important for future cell therapies and drug testing in vitro.

Non-enhanced CT versus contrast-enhanced CT in integrated PET/CT studies for nodal staging of rectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tateishi, Ukihide; Maeda, Tetsuo; Morimoto, Tsuyoshi; Miyake, Mototaka; Arai, Yasuaki; Kim, E.E.

2007-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of non-enhanced CT and contrast-enhanced CT in integrated PET/CT studies for preoperative nodal staging of rectal cancer. Retrospective analysis was performed in 53 patients with pathologically proven rectal cancer who had been referred for preoperative staging. All patients underwent integrated PET/CT consisting of non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT followed by whole-body fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ([ 18 F]FDG) PET. Both non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced PET/CT images were evaluated separately by two observers in consensus. The reference standard was histopathologic results. For nodal staging of rectal cancer, we compared diagnostic accuracy on a per-patient basis between the two modalities. Nodal staging was correctly determined with non-enhanced studies in 37 patients (70%) and with contrast-enhanced studies in 42 patients (79%). On a per-patient basis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of regional lymph node staging were 85%, 68%, 83%, 72%, and 79%, respectively, with contrast-enhanced studies, and 85%, 42%, 73%, 62%, and 70%, respectively, with non-enhanced studies. The difference in the accuracy of nodal staging between the two modalities was not significant (p = 0.063). Compared with non-enhanced studies, contrast-enhanced studies determined more correctly the status of pararectal lymph nodes (p 0.002), internal iliac lymph nodes (p = 0.004), and obturator lymph nodes (p < 0.0001). Contrast-enhanced PET/CT is superior to non-enhanced PET/CT for precise definition of regional nodal status in rectal cancer. (orig.)

Nodal line optimization and its application to violin top plate design

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yonggyun; Jang, In Gwun; Kim, In Kyum; Kwak, Byung Man

2010-10-01

In the literature, most problems of structural vibration have been formulated to adjust a specific natural frequency: for example, to maximize the first natural frequency. In musical instruments like a violin; however, mode shapes are equally important because they are related to sound quality in the way that natural frequencies are related to the octave. The shapes of nodal lines, which represent the natural mode shapes, are generally known to have a unique feature for good violins. Among the few studies on mode shape optimization, one typical study addresses the optimization of nodal point location for reducing vibration in a one-dimensional beam structure. However, nodal line optimization, which is required in violin plate design, has not yet been considered. In this paper, the central idea of controlling the shape of the nodal lines is proposed and then applied to violin top plate design. Finite element model for a violin top plate was constructed using shell elements. Then, optimization was performed to minimize the square sum of the displacement of selected nodes located along the target nodal lines by varying the thicknesses of the top plate. We conducted nodal line optimization for the second and the fifth modes together at the same time, and the results showed that the nodal lines obtained match well with the target nodal lines. The information on plate thickness distribution from nodal line optimization would be valuable for tailored trimming of a violin top plate for the given performances.

Lymphoma no Hodgkin extra nodal in head and neck: value of CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos Aguilar, A.; Romance Garcia, A.; Fuentes Lupianez, J.J.; Sanchez Lafuente, J.; Rodriguez Sanpedro, F.

1994-01-01

The head and neck regions is one of the most common sites of extra nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We studied 7 cases of NHL of head and neck using CT enhanced with intravenous contrast medium, analyzing the important role it plays in diagnosis, treatment planning and evaluation of the recurrence of these tumors. (Author)

Bilinear nodal transport method in weighted diamond difference form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1987-01-01

Nodal methods have been developed and implemented for the numerical solution of the discrete ordinates neutron transport equation. Numerical testing of these methods and comparison of their results to those obtained by conventional methods have established the high accuracy of nodal methods. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the linear-linear approximation is the most computationally efficient, practical nodal approximation. Indeed, this claim has been substantiated by comparing the accuracy in the solution, and the CPU time required to achieve convergence to that solution by several nodal approximations, as well as the diamond difference scheme. Two types of linear-linear nodal methods have been developed in the literature: analytic linear-linear (NLL) methods, in which the transverse-leakage terms are derived analytically, and approximate linear-linear (PLL) methods, in which these terms are approximated. In spite of their higher accuracy, NLL methods result in very complicated discrete-variable equations that exhibit a high degree of coupling, thus requiring special solution algorithms. On the other hand, the sacrificed accuracy in PLL methods is compensated for by the simple discrete-variable equations and diamond-difference-like solution algorithm. In this paper the authors outline the development of an NLL nodal method, the bilinear method, which can be written in a weighted diamond difference form with one spatial weight per dimension that is analytically derived rather than preassigned in an ad hoc fashion

Super-nodal methods for space-time kinetics

Science.gov (United States)

Mertyurek, Ugur

The purpose of this research has been to develop an advanced Super-Nodal method to reduce the run time of 3-D core neutronics models, such as in the NESTLE reactor core simulator and FORMOSA nuclear fuel management optimization codes. Computational performance of the neutronics model is increased by reducing the number of spatial nodes used in the core modeling. However, as the number of spatial nodes decreases, the error in the solution increases. The Super-Nodal method reduces the error associated with the use of coarse nodes in the analyses by providing a new set of cross sections and ADFs (Assembly Discontinuity Factors) for the new nodalization. These so called homogenization parameters are obtained by employing consistent collapsing technique. During this research a new type of singularity, namely "fundamental mode singularity", is addressed in the ANM (Analytical Nodal Method) solution. The "Coordinate Shifting" approach is developed as a method to address this singularity. Also, the "Buckling Shifting" approach is developed as an alternative and more accurate method to address the zero buckling singularity, which is a more common and well known singularity problem in the ANM solution. In the course of addressing the treatment of these singularities, an effort was made to provide better and more robust results from the Super-Nodal method by developing several new methods for determining the transverse leakage and collapsed diffusion coefficient, which generally are the two main approximations in the ANM methodology. Unfortunately, the proposed new transverse leakage and diffusion coefficient approximations failed to provide a consistent improvement to the current methodology. However, improvement in the Super-Nodal solution is achieved by updating the homogenization parameters at several time points during a transient. The update is achieved by employing a refinement technique similar to pin-power reconstruction. A simple error analysis based on the relative

Advances in Spectral Nodal Methods applied to SN Nuclear Reactor Global calculations in Cartesian Geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, R.C.; Filho, H.A.; Oliveira, F.B.S.; Silva, F.C. da

2004-01-01

Presented here are the advances in spectral nodal methods for discrete ordinates (SN) eigenvalue problems in Cartesian geometry. These coarse-mesh methods are based on three ingredients: (i) the use of the standard discretized spatial balance SN equations; (ii) the use of the non-standard spectral diamond (SD) auxiliary equations in the multiplying regions of the domain, e.g. fuel assemblies; and (iii) the use of the non-standard spectral Green's function (SGF) auxiliary equations in the non-multiplying regions of the domain, e.g., the reflector. In slab-geometry the hybrid SD-SGF method generates numerical results that are completely free of spatial truncation errors. In X,Y-geometry, we obtain a system of two 'slab-geometry' SN equations for the node-edge average angular fluxes by transverse-integrating the X,Y-geometry SN equations separately in the y- and then in the x-directions within an arbitrary node of the spatial grid set up on the domain. In this paper, we approximate the transverse leakage terms by constants. These are the only approximations considered in the SD-SGF-constant nodal method, as the source terms, that include scattering and eventually fission events, are treated exactly. Moreover, we describe in this paper the progress of the approximate SN albedo boundary conditions for substituting the non-multiplying regions around the nuclear reactor core. We show numerical results to typical model problems to illustrate the accuracy of spectral nodal methods for coarse-mesh SN criticality calculations. (Author)

Nodal integral method for the neutron diffusion equation in cylindrical geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1987-01-01

The nodal methodology is based on retaining a higher a higher degree of analyticity in the process of deriving the discrete-variable equations compared to conventional numerical methods. As a result, extensive numerical testing of nodal methods developed for a wide variety of partial differential equations and comparison of the results to conventional methods have established the superior accuracy of nodal methods on coarse meshes. Moreover, these tests have shown that nodal methods are more computationally efficient than finite difference and finite-element methods in the sense that they require shorter CPU times to achieve comparable accuracy in the solutions. However, nodal formalisms and the final discrete-variable equations they produce are, in general, more complicated than their conventional counterparts. This, together with anticipated difficulties in applying the transverse-averaging procedure in curvilinear coordinates, has limited the applications of nodal methods, so far, to Cartesian geometry, and with additional approximations to hexagonal geometry. In this paper the authors report recent progress in deriving and numerically implementing a nodal integral method (NIM) for solving the neutron diffusion equation in cylindrical r-z geometry. Also, presented are comparisons of numerical solutions to two test problems with those obtained by the Exterminator-2 code, which indicate the superior accuracy of the nodal integral method solutions on much coarser meshes

Uniqueness Theorem for the Inverse Aftereffect Problem and Representation the Nodal Points Form

OpenAIRE

A. Neamaty; Sh. Akbarpoor; A. Dabbaghian

2015-01-01

In this paper, we consider a boundary value problem with aftereffect on a finite interval. Then, the asymptotic behavior of the solutions, eigenvalues, the nodal points and the associated nodal length are studied. We also calculate the numerical values of the nodal points and the nodal length. Finally, we prove the uniqueness theorem for the inverse aftereffect problem by applying any dense subset of the nodal points.

Nodal Stage of Surgically Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Effect on Recurrence Patterns and Overall Survival

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varlotto, John M., E-mail: john.varlotto@umassmemorial.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Yao, Aaron N. [Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (United States); DeCamp, Malcolm M. [Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Ramakrishna, Satvik [Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Recht, Abe [Department of Radiation Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Flickinger, John [Department of Radiation Oncology, Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Andrei, Adin [Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Reed, Michael F. [Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania (United States); Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University-Hershey, Hershey, Pennsylvania (United States); Toth, Jennifer W. [Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania (United States); Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University-Hershey, Hershey, Pennsylvania (United States); Fizgerald, Thomas J. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Higgins, Kristin [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Zheng, Xiao [Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (United States); Shelkey, Julie [Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University, New York, New York (United States); and others

2015-03-15

Purpose: Current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with N2 involvement. We investigated the relationship between nodal stage and local-regional recurrence (LR), distant recurrence (DR) and overall survival (OS) for patients having an R0 resection. Methods and Materials: A multi-institutional database of consecutive patients undergoing R0 resection for stage I-IIIA NSCLC from 1995 to 2008 was used. Patients receiving any radiation therapy before relapse were excluded. A total of 1241, 202, and 125 patients were identified with N0, N1, and N2 involvement, respectively; 161 patients received chemotherapy. Cumulative incidence rates were calculated for LR and DR as first sites of failure, and Kaplan-Meier estimates were made for OS. Competing risk analysis and proportional hazards models were used to examine LR, DR, and OS. Independent variables included age, sex, surgical procedure, extent of lymph node sampling, histology, lymphatic or vascular invasion, tumor size, tumor grade, chemotherapy, nodal stage, and visceral pleural invasion. Results: The median follow-up time was 28.7 months. Patients with N1 or N2 nodal stage had rates of LR similar to those of patients with N0 disease, but were at significantly increased risk for both DR (N1, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-2.59; P=.001; N2, HR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.55-3.48; P<.001) and death (N1, HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.18-1.81; P<.001; N2, HR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.78-3.04; P<.001). LR was associated with squamous histology, visceral pleural involvement, tumor size, age, wedge resection, and segmentectomy. The most frequent site of LR was the mediastinum. Conclusions: Our investigation demonstrated that nodal stage is directly associated with DR and OS but not with LR. Thus, even some patients with, N0-N1 disease are at relatively high risk of local recurrence. Prospective

A Nodal-independent and tissue-intrinsic mechanism controls heart-looping chirality

Science.gov (United States)

Noël, Emily S.; Verhoeven, Manon; Lagendijk, Anne Karine; Tessadori, Federico; Smith, Kelly; Choorapoikayil, Suma; den Hertog, Jeroen; Bakkers, Jeroen

2013-11-01

Breaking left-right symmetry in bilateria is a major event during embryo development that is required for asymmetric organ position, directional organ looping and lateralized organ function in the adult. Asymmetric expression of Nodal-related genes is hypothesized to be the driving force behind regulation of organ laterality. Here we identify a Nodal-independent mechanism that drives asymmetric heart looping in zebrafish embryos. In a unique mutant defective for the Nodal-related southpaw gene, preferential dextral looping in the heart is maintained, whereas gut and brain asymmetries are randomized. As genetic and pharmacological inhibition of Nodal signalling does not abolish heart asymmetry, a yet undiscovered mechanism controls heart chirality. This mechanism is tissue intrinsic, as explanted hearts maintain ex vivo retain chiral looping behaviour and require actin polymerization and myosin II activity. We find that Nodal signalling regulates actin gene expression, supporting a model in which Nodal signalling amplifies this tissue-intrinsic mechanism of heart looping.

Uniqueness Theorem for the Inverse Aftereffect Problem and Representation the Nodal Points Form

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Neamaty

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we consider a boundary value problem with aftereffect on a finite interval. Then, the asymptotic behavior of the solutions, eigenvalues, the nodal points and the associated nodal length are studied. We also calculate the numerical values of the nodal points and the nodal length. Finally, we prove the uniqueness theorem for the inverse aftereffect problem by applying any dense subset of the nodal points.

Rules for Phase Shifts of Quantum Oscillations in Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cequn; Wang, C. M.; Wan, Bo; Wan, Xiangang; Lu, Hai-Zhou; Xie, X. C.

2018-04-01

Nodal-line semimetals are topological semimetals in which band touchings form nodal lines or rings. Around a loop that encloses a nodal line, an electron can accumulate a nontrivial π Berry phase, so the phase shift in the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation may give a transport signature for the nodal-line semimetals. However, different experiments have reported contradictory phase shifts, in particular, in the WHM nodal-line semimetals (W =Zr /Hf , H =Si /Ge , M =S /Se /Te ). For a generic model of nodal-line semimetals, we present a systematic calculation for the SdH oscillation of resistivity under a magnetic field normal to the nodal-line plane. From the analytical result of the resistivity, we extract general rules to determine the phase shifts for arbitrary cases and apply them to ZrSiS and Cu3 PdN systems. Depending on the magnetic field directions, carrier types, and cross sections of the Fermi surface, the phase shift shows rich results, quite different from those for normal electrons and Weyl fermions. Our results may help explore transport signatures of topological nodal-line semimetals and can be generalized to other topological phases of matter.

Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Patterns of Failure and Predictors of Local Control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daly, Megan E.; Le, Quynh-Thu; Kozak, Margaret M.; Maxim, Peter G.; Murphy, James D.; Hsu, Annie; Loo, Billy W.; Kaplan, Michael J.; Fischbein, Nancy J.; Chang, Daniel T.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Few studies have evaluated the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity (OC). We report clinical outcomes and failure patterns for these patients. Methods and Materials: Between October 2002 and June 2009, 37 patients with newly diagnosed SCC of the OC underwent postoperative (30) or definitive (7) IMRT. Twenty-five patients (66%) received systemic therapy. The median follow-up was 38 months (range, 10-87 months). The median interval from surgery to RT was 5.9 weeks (range, 2.1-10.7 weeks). Results: Thirteen patients experienced local-regional failure at a median of 8.1 months (range, 2.4-31.9 months), and 2 additional patients experienced local recurrence between surgery and RT. Seven local failures occurred in-field (one with simultaneous nodal and distant disease) and two at the margin. Four regional failures occurred, two in-field and two out-of-field, one with synchronous metastases. Six patients experienced distant failure. The 3-year actuarial estimates of local control, local-regional control, freedom from distant metastasis, and overall survival were 67%, 53%, 81%, and 60% among postoperative patients, respectively, and 60%, 60%, 71%, and 57% among definitive patients. Four patients developed Grade ≥2 chronic toxicity. Increased surgery to RT interval predicted for decreased LRC (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Local-regional control for SCC of the OC treated with IMRT with or without surgery remains unsatisfactory. Definitive and postoperative IMRT have favorable toxicity profiles. A surgery-to-RT interval of <6 weeks improves local-regional control. The predominant failure pattern was local, suggesting that both improvements in target delineation and radiosensitization and/or dose escalation are needed.

NESTLE: A nodal kinetics code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Chalabi, R.M.; Turinsky, P.J.; Faure, F.-X.; Sarsour, H.N.; Engrand, P.R.

1993-01-01

The NESTLE nodal kinetics code has been developed for utilization as a stand-alone code for steady-state and transient reactor neutronic analysis and for incorporation into system transient codes, such as TRAC and RELAP. The latter is desirable to increase the simulation fidelity over that obtained from currently employed zero- and one-dimensional neutronic models and now feasible due to advances in computer performance and efficiency of nodal methods. As a stand-alone code, requirements are that it operate on a range of computing platforms from memory-limited personal computers (PCs) to supercomputers with vector processors. This paper summarizes the features of NESTLE that reflect the utilization and requirements just noted

Cardiac dose reduction with deep inspiration breath hold for left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy patients with and without regional nodal irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeung, Rosanna; Conroy, Leigh; Long, Karen; Walrath, Daphne; Li, Haocheng; Smith, Wendy; Hudson, Alana; Phan, Tien

2015-09-22

Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) reduces heart and left anterior descending artery (LAD) dose during left-sided breast radiation therapy (RT); however there is limited information about which patients derive the most benefit from DIBH. The primary objective of this study was to determine which patients benefit the most from DIBH by comparing percent reduction in mean cardiac dose conferred by DIBH for patients treated with whole breast RT ± boost (WBRT) versus those receiving breast/chest wall plus regional nodal irradiation, including internal mammary chain (IMC) nodes (B/CWRT + RNI) using a modified wide tangent technique. A secondary objective was to determine if DIBH was required to meet a proposed heart dose constraint of Dmean irradiation.

BEACON: An application of nodal methods for operational support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, W.A.; Nguyen, T.Q.

1992-01-01

A practical application of nodal methods is on-line plant operational support. However, to enable plant personnel to take full advantage of a nodal model to support plant operations, (a) a core nodal model must always be up to date with the current core history and conditions, (b) the nodal methods must be fast enough to allow numerous core calculations to be performed in minutes to support engineering decisions, and (c) the system must be easily accessible to engineering personnel at the reactor, their offices, or any other location considered appropriate. A core operational support package developed by Westinghouse called BEACON (best estimate analysis of core operations - nuclear) has been installed at several plants. Results from these plants and numerous in-core flux maps analyzed have demonstrated the accuracy of the model and the effectiveness of the methodology

Nodal aberration theory for wild-filed asymmetric optical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yang; Cheng, Xuemin; Hao, Qun

2016-10-01

Nodal Aberration Theory (NAT) was used to calculate the zero field position in Full Field Display (FFD) for the given aberration term. Aiming at wide-filed non-rotational symmetric decentered optical systems, we have presented the nodal geography behavior of the family of third-order and fifth-order aberrations. Meanwhile, we have calculated the wavefront aberration expressions when one optical element in the system is tilted, which was not at the entrance pupil. By using a three-piece-cellphone lens example in optical design software CodeV, the nodal geography is testified under several situations; and the wavefront aberrations are calculated when the optical element is tilted. The properties of the nodal aberrations are analyzed by using Fringe Zernike coefficients, which are directly related with the wavefront aberration terms and usually obtained by real ray trace and wavefront surface fitting.

Assessment of Effect on LBLOCA PCT for Change in Upper Head Nodalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Dong Gu; Huh, Byung Gil; Yoo, Seung Hun; Bang, Youngseok; Seul, Kwangwon; Cho, Daehyung

2014-01-01

In this study, the best estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) analysis of LBLOCA for original and modified nodalizations was performed, and the effect on LBLOCA PCT for change in upper head nodalization was assessed. In this study, the best estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) analysis of LBLOCA for original and modified nodalizations was performed, and the effect on LBLOCA PCT for change in upper head nodalization was assessed. It is confirmed that modification of upper head nodalization influences PCT behavior, especially in the reflood phase. In conclusions, the modification of nodalization to reflect design characteristic of upper head temperature should be done to predict PCT behavior accurately in LBLOCA analysis. In the best estimate (BE) method with the uncertainty evaluation, the system nodalization is determined by the comparative studies of the experimental data. Up to now, it was assumed that the temperature of the upper dome in OPR-1000 was close to that of the cold leg. However, it was found that the temperature of the upper head/dome might be a little lower than or similar to that of the hot leg through the evaluation of the detailed design data. Since the higher upper head temperature affects blowdown quenching and peak cladding temperature in the reflood phase, the nodalization for upper head should be modified

Relevance of regional nodal management in multimodality esophageal cancer treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, J.; Perez-Tamayo, C.; Takasugi, B.; Orringer, M.B.; Flint, A.; Lichter, A.S.

1986-01-01

A prospective study has been undertaken at the University of Michigan Hospital, where patients with distal esophageal carcinoma receive concurrent radiation therapy (3,750 cGy delivered in 15 fractions) and systemic chemotherapy (cisplatin, Velban, 5-FU), followed by blunt esophagectomy with exploration and lymph node sampling. Strict pathologic screening and handling of nodal tissue and esophagectomy specimens were analyzed. Eighteen patients with distal esophageal lesions ranging from 5 to 12 cm (average, 7 cm) detected on the initial barium swallow study have been seen to date. In three of these patients celiac axis involvement has been demonstrated on CT. All primary lesions were confirmed by biopsy. Five were found to be squamous cell carcinoma and thirteen were adenocarcinomas. One of 15 of the presently evaluable patients (5%) had microscopic involvement of a celiac node at surgery. Celiac, lesser curvature, and superior gastric nodes where all encompassed in the radiation therapy portals to the aforementioned dose. CT scan planning was done in all patients. This added volume was well tolerated by the patients without morbidity

Development of a qualified nodalization for small-break LOCA transient analysis in PSB-VVER integral test facility by RELAP5 system code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shahedi, S. [Department of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Street, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jafari, J., E-mail: jalil_jafari@yahoo.co [Reactors and Accelerators R and D School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, North Kargar Street, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Boroushaki, M. [Department of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Street, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); D' Auria, F. [DIMNP, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa (Italy)

2010-10-15

This paper deals with development and qualification of a nodalization for modeling of the PSB-VVER integral test facility (ITF) by RELAP5/MOD3.2 code and prediction of its primary and secondary systems behaviors at steady state and transient conditions. The PSB-VVER is a full-height, 1/300 volume and power scale representation of a VVER-1000 NPP. A RELAP5 nodalization has been developed for PSB-VVER modeling and a nodalization qualification process has been applied for the developed nodalization at steady state and transient levels and a qualified nodalization has been proposed for modeling of the PSB ITF. The 11% small-break loss-of-coolant-accident (SBLOCA), i.e. rupture of one of the hydroaccumulators (HA) injection lines in the upper plenum (UP) region of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) below the hot legs (HL), inlets has been considered for nodalization qualification process. The influence of the different steam generator (SG) nodalizations on the RELAP5 results and on the nodalization qualification process has been examined. The 'steady state' qualification level includes checking the correctness of the initial and boundary conditions and geometrical fidelity. In the 'transient' qualification level, the time dependent results of the code calculation are compared with the experimental time trends from both the qualitative and quantitative point of view. For quantitative assessment of the results, a Fast Fourier Transform Based Method (FFTBM) has been used. The FFTBM was used to establish a range in which the steam generators nodalizations can vary.

Short-term displacement and reproducibility of the breast and nodal targets under active breathing control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moran, Jean M.; Balter, James M.; Ben-David, Merav A.; Marsh, Robin B.; van Herk, Marcel; Pierce, Lori J.

2007-01-01

PURPOSE: The short-term displacement and reproducibility of the breast or chest wall, and the internal mammary (IM), infraclavicular (ICV), and supraclavicular (SCV) nodal regions have been assessed as a function of breath-hold state using an active breathing control (ABC) device for patients

A simple nodal force distribution method in refined finite element meshes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jai Hak [Chungbuk National University, Chungju (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Kyu In [Gentec Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-05-15

In finite element analyses, mesh refinement is frequently performed to obtain accurate stress or strain values or to accurately define the geometry. After mesh refinement, equivalent nodal forces should be calculated at the nodes in the refined mesh. If field variables and material properties are available at the integration points in each element, then the accurate equivalent nodal forces can be calculated using an adequate numerical integration. However, in certain circumstances, equivalent nodal forces cannot be calculated because field variable data are not available. In this study, a very simple nodal force distribution method was proposed. Nodal forces of the original finite element mesh are distributed to the nodes of refined meshes to satisfy the equilibrium conditions. The effect of element size should also be considered in determining the magnitude of the distributing nodal forces. A program was developed based on the proposed method, and several example problems were solved to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method. From the results, accurate stress field can be recognized to be obtained from refined meshes using the proposed nodal force distribution method. In example problems, the difference between the obtained maximum stress and target stress value was less than 6 % in models with 8-node hexahedral elements and less than 1 % in models with 20-node hexahedral elements or 10-node tetrahedral elements.

Effects of Out-of-Plane Disorder on the Nodal Quasiparticle and Superconducting Gap in Single-Layer Bi_2Sr_1.6Ln_0.4CuO_6 delta (Ln = La, Nd, Gd)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, M.

2011-01-04

How out-of-plane disorder affects the electronic structure has been investigated for the single-layer cuprates Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 1.6}Ln{sub 0.4}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} (Ln = La, Nd, Gd) by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We have observed that, with increasing disorder, while the Fermi surface shape and band dispersions are not affected, the quasi-particle width increases, the anti-nodal gap is enhanced and the superconducting gap in the nodal region is depressed. The results indicate that the superconductivity is significantly depressed by out-of-plane disorder through the enhancement of the anti-nodal gap and the depression of the superconducting gap in the nodal region.

Nodal methods for problems in fluid mechanics and neutron transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1985-01-01

A new high-accuracy, coarse-mesh, nodal integral approach is developed for the efficient numerical solution of linear partial differential equations. It is shown that various special cases of this general nodal integral approach correspond to several high efficiency nodal methods developed recently for the numerical solution of neutron diffusion and neutron transport problems. The new approach is extended to the nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations of fluid mechanics; its extension to these equations leads to a new computational method, the nodal integral method which is implemented for the numerical solution of these equations. Application to several test problems demonstrates the superior computational efficiency of this new method over previously developed methods. The solutions obtained for several driven cavity problems are compared with the available experimental data and are shown to be in very good agreement with experiment. Additional comparisons also show that the coarse-mesh, nodal integral method results agree very well with the results of definitive ultra-fine-mesh, finite-difference calculations for the driven cavity problem up to fairly high Reynolds numbers

A quasi-static polynomial nodal method for nuclear reactor analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehin, J.C.

1992-09-01

Modern nodal methods are currently available which can accurately and efficiently solve the static and transient neutron diffusion equations. Most of the methods, however, are limited to two energy groups for practical application. The objective of this research is the development of a static and transient, multidimensional nodal method which allows more than two energy groups and uses a non-linear iterative method for efficient solution of the nodal equations. For both the static and transient methods, finite-difference equations which are corrected by the use of discontinuity factors are derived. The discontinuity factors are computed from a polynomial nodal method using a non-linear iteration technique. The polynomial nodal method is based upon a quartic approximation and utilizes a quadratic transverse-leakage approximation. The solution of the time-dependent equations is performed by the use of a quasi-static method in which the node-averaged fluxes are factored into shape and amplitude functions. The application of the quasi-static polynomial method to several benchmark problems demonstrates that the accuracy is consistent with that of other nodal methods. The use of the quasi-static method is shown to substantially reduce the computation time over the traditional fully-implicit time-integration method. Problems involving thermal-hydraulic feedback are accurately, and efficiently, solved by performing several reactivity/thermal-hydraulic updates per shape calculation

A quasi-static polynomial nodal method for nuclear reactor analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gehin, Jess C. [Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States)

1992-09-01

Modern nodal methods are currently available which can accurately and efficiently solve the static and transient neutron diffusion equations. Most of the methods, however, are limited to two energy groups for practical application. The objective of this research is the development of a static and transient, multidimensional nodal method which allows more than two energy groups and uses a non-linear iterative method for efficient solution of the nodal equations. For both the static and transient methods, finite-difference equations which are corrected by the use of discontinuity factors are derived. The discontinuity factors are computed from a polynomial nodal method using a non-linear iteration technique. The polynomial nodal method is based upon a quartic approximation and utilizes a quadratic transverse-leakage approximation. The solution of the time-dependent equations is performed by the use of a quasi-static method in which the node-averaged fluxes are factored into shape and amplitude functions. The application of the quasi-static polynomial method to several benchmark problems demonstrates that the accuracy is consistent with that of other nodal methods. The use of the quasi-static method is shown to substantially reduce the computation time over the traditional fully-implicit time-integration method. Problems involving thermal-hydraulic feedback are accurately, and efficiently, solved by performing several reactivity/thermal-hydraulic updates per shape calculation.

Hybrid nodal loop metal: Unconventional magnetoresponse and material realization

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoming; Yu, Zhi-Ming; Lu, Yunhao; Sheng, Xian-Lei; Yang, Hui Ying; Yang, Shengyuan A.

2018-03-01

A nodal loop is formed by a band crossing along a one-dimensional closed manifold, with each point on the loop a linear nodal point in the transverse dimensions, and can be classified as type I or type II depending on the band dispersion. Here, we propose a class of nodal loops composed of both type-I and type-II points, which are hence termed as hybrid nodal loops. Based on first-principles calculations, we predict the realization of such loops in the existing electride material Ca2As . For a hybrid loop, the Fermi surface consists of coexisting electron and hole pockets that touch at isolated points for an extended range of Fermi energies, without the need for fine-tuning. This leads to unconventional magnetic responses, including the zero-field magnetic breakdown and the momentum-space Klein tunneling observable in the magnetic quantum oscillations, as well as the peculiar anisotropy in the cyclotron resonance.

Type-I and type-II topological nodal superconductors with s -wave interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Beibing; Yang, Xiaosen; Xu, Ning; Gong, Ming

2018-01-01

Topological nodal superconductors with protected gapless points in momentum space are generally realized based on unconventional pairings. In this work we propose a minimal model to realize these topological nodal phases with only s -wave interaction. In our model the linear and quadratic spin-orbit couplings along the two orthogonal directions introduce anisotropic effective unconventional pairings in momentum space. This model may support different nodal superconducting phases characterized by either an integer winding number in BDI class or a Z2 index in D class at the particle-hole invariant axes. In the vicinity of the nodal points the effective Hamiltonian can be described by either type-I or type-II Dirac equations, and the Lifshitz transition from type-I nodal phases to type-II nodal phases can be driven by external in-plane magnetic fields. We show that these nodal phases are robust against weak impurities, which only slightly renormalizes the momentum-independent parameters in the impurity-averaged Hamiltonian, thus these phases are possible to be realized in experiments with real semi-Dirac materials. The smoking-gun evidences to verify these phases based on scanning tunneling spectroscopy method are also briefly discussed.

Long-Term Efficacy and Patterns of Failure After Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation: A Molecular Assay-Based Clonality Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicini, Frank A.; Antonucci, J. Vito; Wallace, Michelle R.N.; Gilbert, Samuel; Goldstein, Neal S.; Kestin, Larry; Chen, Peter; Kunzman, Jonathan; Boike, Thomas; Benitez, Pamela; Martinez, Alvaro

2007-01-01

Purpose: To determine the long-term efficacy and cosmetic results of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) by reviewing our institution's experience. Methods and Materials: A total of 199 patients with early-stage breast cancer were treated prospectively with adjuvant APBI after lumpectomy using interstitial brachytherapy. All patients had negative margins, 82% had Stage I disease, median tumor size was 1.1 cm, and 12% had positive lymph nodes. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 8.6 years. Fifty-three patients (27%) have been followed for ≥10 years. Results: Six ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTRs) were observed, for a 5-year and 10-year actuarial rate of 1.6% and 3.8%, respectively. A total of three regional nodal failures were observed, for a 10-year actuarial rate of 1.6%. Five contralateral breast cancers developed, for a 5- and 10-year actuarial rate of 2.2% and 5.2%, respectively. The type of IBTR (clonally related vs. clonally distinct) was analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction-based loss of heterozygosity assay. Eighty-three percent of IBTRs (n = 5) were classified as clonally related. Multiple clinical, pathologic, and treatment-related factors were analyzed for an association with the development of an IBTR, regional nodal failure, or contralateral breast cancer. On multivariate analysis, no variable was associated with any of these events. Cosmetic results were rated as excellent/good in 99% of patients. Conclusions: Long-term results with APBI using interstitial brachytherapy continue to demonstrate excellent long-term local and regional control rates and cosmetic results. According to a polymerase chain reaction-based loss of heterozygosity assay, 83% of recurrences were classified as clonally related

A comparison of Nodal methods in neutron diffusion calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tavron, Barak [Israel Electric Company, Haifa (Israel) Nuclear Engineering Dept. Research and Development Div.

1996-12-01

The nuclear engineering department at IEC uses in the reactor analysis three neutron diffusion codes based on nodal methods. The codes, GNOMERl, ADMARC2 and NOXER3 solve the neutron diffusion equation to obtain flux and power distributions in the core. The resulting flux distributions are used for the furl cycle analysis and for fuel reload optimization. This work presents a comparison of the various nodal methods employed in the above codes. Nodal methods (also called Coarse-mesh methods) have been designed to solve problems that contain relatively coarse areas of homogeneous composition. In the nodal method parts of the equation that present the state in the homogeneous area are solved analytically while, according to various assumptions and continuity requirements, a general solution is sought out. Thus efficiency of the method for this kind of problems, is very high compared with the finite element and finite difference methods. On the other hand, using this method one can get only approximate information about the node vicinity (or coarse-mesh area, usually a feel assembly of a 20 cm size). These characteristics of the nodal method make it suitable for feel cycle analysis and reload optimization. This analysis requires many subsequent calculations of the flux and power distributions for the feel assemblies while there is no need for detailed distribution within the assembly. For obtaining detailed distribution within the assembly methods of power reconstruction may be applied. However homogenization of feel assembly properties, required for the nodal method, may cause difficulties when applied to fuel assemblies with many absorber rods, due to exciting strong neutron properties heterogeneity within the assembly. (author).

An analytical discrete ordinates solution for a nodal model of a two-dimensional neutron transport problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filho, J. F. P.; Barichello, L. B.

2013-01-01

In this work, an analytical discrete ordinates method is used to solve a nodal formulation of a neutron transport problem in x, y-geometry. The proposed approach leads to an important reduction in the order of the associated eigenvalue systems, when combined with the classical level symmetric quadrature scheme. Auxiliary equations are proposed, as usually required for nodal methods, to express the unknown fluxes at the boundary introduced as additional unknowns in the integrated equations. Numerical results, for the problem defined by a two-dimensional region with a spatially constant and isotropically emitting source, are presented and compared with those available in the literature. (authors)

Nodal methods in numerical reactor calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hennart, J.P.; Valle, E. del

2004-01-01

The present work describes the antecedents, developments and applications started in 1972 with Prof. Hennart who was invited to be part of the staff of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the School of Physics and Mathematics of the National Polytechnic Institute. Since that time and up to 1981, several master theses based on classical finite element methods were developed with applications in point kinetics and in the steady state as well as the time dependent multigroup diffusion equations. After this period the emphasis moved to nodal finite elements in 1, 2 and 3D cartesian geometries. All the thesis were devoted to the numerical solution of the neutron multigroup diffusion and transport equations, few of them including the time dependence, most of them related with steady state diffusion equations. The main contributions were as follows: high order nodal schemes for the primal and mixed forms of the diffusion equations, block-centered finite-differences methods, post-processing, composite nodal finite elements for hexagons, and weakly and strongly discontinuous schemes for the transport equation. Some of these are now being used by several researchers involved in nuclear fuel management. (Author)

Nodal methods in numerical reactor calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hennart, J P [UNAM, IIMAS, A.P. 20-726, 01000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Valle, E del [National Polytechnic Institute, School of Physics and Mathematics, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2004-07-01

The present work describes the antecedents, developments and applications started in 1972 with Prof. Hennart who was invited to be part of the staff of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the School of Physics and Mathematics of the National Polytechnic Institute. Since that time and up to 1981, several master theses based on classical finite element methods were developed with applications in point kinetics and in the steady state as well as the time dependent multigroup diffusion equations. After this period the emphasis moved to nodal finite elements in 1, 2 and 3D cartesian geometries. All the thesis were devoted to the numerical solution of the neutron multigroup diffusion and transport equations, few of them including the time dependence, most of them related with steady state diffusion equations. The main contributions were as follows: high order nodal schemes for the primal and mixed forms of the diffusion equations, block-centered finite-differences methods, post-processing, composite nodal finite elements for hexagons, and weakly and strongly discontinuous schemes for the transport equation. Some of these are now being used by several researchers involved in nuclear fuel management. (Author)

Isolated local-regional recurrence of breast cancer following mastectomy: Radiotherapeutic management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halverson, K.J.; Perez, C.A.; Kuske, R.R.; Garcia, D.M.; Simpson, J.R.; Fineberg, B.

1990-01-01

Two hundred twenty-four patients with their first, isolated local-regional recurrence of breast cancer were irradiated with curative intent. Patients who had previous chest wall or regional lymphatic irradiation were not included in the study. With a median follow-up of 46 months (range 24 to 241 months), the 5- and 10-year survival for the entire group were 43% and 26%, respectively. Overall, 57% of the patients were projected to be loco-regionally controlled at 5 years. The 5-year local-regional tumor control was best for patients with isolated chest wall recurrences (63%), intermediate for nodal recurrences (45%), and poor for concomitant chest wall and nodal recurrences (27%). In patients with solitary chest wall recurrences, large field radiotherapy encompassing the entire chest wall resulted in a 5- and 10-year freedom from chest wall re-recurrence of 75% and 63% in contrast to 36% and 18% with small field irradiation (p = 0.0001). For the group with recurrences completely excised, tumor control was adequate at all doses ranging from 4500 to 7000 cGy. For the recurrences less than 3 cm, 100% were controlled at doses greater than or equal to 6000 cGy versus 76% at lower doses. No dose response could be demonstrated for the larger lesions. The supraclavicular failure rate was 16% without elective radiotherapy versus 6% with elective radiotherapy (p = 0.0489). Prophylactic irradiation of the uninvolved chest wall decreased the subsequent re-recurrence rate (17% versus 27%), but the difference is not statistically significant (p = .32). The incidence of chest wall re-recurrence was 12% with doses greater than or equal to 5000 cGy compared to 27% with no elective radiotherapy, but again was not statistically significant (p = .20). Axillary and internal mammary failures were infrequent, regardless of prophylactic treatment

A practical implementation of the higher-order transverse-integrated nodal diffusion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinsloo, Rian H.; Tomašević, Djordje I.; Moraal, Harm

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A practical higher-order nodal method is developed for diffusion calculations. • The method resolves the issue of the transverse leakage approximation. • The method achieves much superior accuracy as compared to standard nodal methods. • The calculational cost is only about 50% greater than standard nodal methods. • The method is packaged in a module for connection to existing nodal codes. - Abstract: Transverse-integrated nodal diffusion methods currently represent the standard in full core neutronic simulation. The primary shortcoming of this approach is the utilization of the quadratic transverse leakage approximation. This approach, although proven to work well for typical LWR problems, is not consistent with the formulation of nodal methods and can cause accuracy and convergence problems. In this work, an improved, consistent quadratic leakage approximation is formulated, which derives from the class of higher-order nodal methods developed some years ago. Further, a number of iteration schemes are developed around this consistent quadratic leakage approximation which yields accurate node average results in much improved calculational times. The most promising of these iteration schemes results from utilizing the consistent leakage approximation as a correction method to the standard quadratic leakage approximation. Numerical results are demonstrated on a set of benchmark problems and further applied to a realistic reactor problem, particularly the SAFARI-1 reactor, operating at Necsa, South Africa. The final optimal solution strategy is packaged into a standalone module which may simply be coupled to existing nodal diffusion codes

Implications of inaccurate clinical nodal staging in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Swords, Douglas S; Firpo, Matthew A; Johnson, Kirsten M; Boucher, Kenneth M; Scaife, Courtney L; Mulvihill, Sean J

2017-07-01

Many patients with stage I-II pancreatic adenocarcinoma do not undergo resection. We hypothesized that (1) clinical staging underestimates nodal involvement, causing stage IIB to have a greater percent of resected patients and (2) this stage-shift causes discrepancies in observed survival. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) research database was used to evaluate cause-specific survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma from 2004-2012. Survival was compared using the log-rank test. Single-center data on 105 patients who underwent resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma without neoadjuvant treatment were used to compare clinical and pathologic nodal staging. In SEER data, medium-term survival in stage IIB was superior to IB and IIA, with median cause-specific survival of 14, 9, and 11 months, respectively (P < .001). Seventy-two percent of stage IIB patients underwent resection vs 28% in IB and 36% in IIA (P < .001). In our institutional data, 12.4% of patients had clinical evidence of nodal involvement vs 69.5% by pathologic staging (P < .001). Among clinical stage IA-IIA patients, 71.6% had nodal involvement by pathologic staging. Both SEER and institutional data support substantial underestimation of nodal involvement by clinical staging. This finding has implications in decisions regarding neoadjuvant therapy and analysis of outcomes in the absence of pathologic staging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analytic function expansion nodal method for nuclear reactor core design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, Hae Man

1995-02-01

In most advanced nodal methods the transverse integration is commonly used to reduce the multi-dimensional diffusion equation into equivalent one- dimensional diffusion equations when derving the nodal coupling equations. But the use of the transverse integration results in some limitations. The first limitation is that the transverse leakage term which appears in the transverse integration procedure must be appropriately approximated. The second limitation is that the one-dimensional flux shapes in each spatial direction resulted from the nodal calculation are not accurate enough to be directly used in reconstructing the pinwise flux distributions. Finally the transverse leakage defined for a non-rectangular node such as a hexagonal node or a triangular node is too complicated to be easily handled and may contain non-physical singular terms of step-function and delta-function types. In this thesis, the Analytic Function Expansion Nodal (AFEN) method and its two variations : the Polynomial Expansion Nodal (PEN) method and the hybrid of the AFEN and PEN methods, have been developed to overcome the limitations of the transverse integration procedure. All of the methods solve the multidimensional diffusion equation without the transverse integration. The AFEN method which we believe is the major contribution of this study to the reactor core analysis expands the homogeneous flux distributions within a node in non-separable analytic basis functions satisfying the neutron diffusion equations at any point of the node and expresses the coefficients of the flux expansion in terms of the nodal unknowns which comprise a node-average flux, node-interface fluxes, and corner-point fluxes. Then, the nodal coupling equations composed of the neutron balance equations, the interface current continuity equations, and the corner-point leakage balance equations are solved iteratively to determine all the nodal unknowns. Since the AFEN method does not use the transverse integration in

Cross-sectional imaging to evaluate the extent of regional nodal disease in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant systemic therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Tara L., E-mail: anderson.tara@mayo.edu [Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905 (United States); Glazebrook, Katrina N., E-mail: glazebrook.katrina@mayo.edu [Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905 (United States); Murphy, Brittany L., E-mail: murphy.brittany@mayo.edu [Mayo Clinic, Department of Surgery, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905 (United States); Viers, Lyndsay D., E-mail: viers.lyndsay@mayo.edu [Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905 (United States); Hieken, Tina J, E-mail: hieken.tina@mayo.edu [Mayo Clinic, Department of Surgery, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905 (United States)

2017-04-15

Purpose: Cross-sectional imaging often is performed in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) and may identify level III axillary and extra-axillary nodal disease. Our aim was to investigate associations of radiologic nodal staging with pathological N (pN) stage at operation and to explore how this might aid surgical and radiotherapy treatment planning. Materials and methods: With IRB approval, we reviewed pre-treatment breast MRI, PET/CT, and CT imaging and clinicopathologic data on 348 breast cancer patients with imaging available for review undergoing NST followed by operation at our institution 1/2008-9/2013. We defined abnormal lymph node findings on MRI, CT, and PET/CT to include cortical thickening, FDG-avidity and loss of fatty hilum. Patients were assigned a radiologic nodal (rN) stage based on imaging findings. Statistical analysis was performed using JMP 10.1 software Results: Pre-NST imaging included axillary ultrasound in 338 patients (97%), breast MRI in 305 (88%) and PET/CT or CT in 215 (62%). 213 patients (61%) were biopsy-proven axillary lymph node-positive (LN+) pre-treatment. cT stage was T1 in 9%, T2 in 49%, T3 in 29%, T4 in 12%; median tumor size was 4 cm. Pre-treatment rN stage across all the patients was rN0 in 86 (25%), rN1 in 173 (50%), and rN3 in 89 (26%). rN3 disease included level III axillary, supraclavicular and suspicious internal mammary lymph nodes in 47 (53%), 32 (37%) and 45 (52%), respectively. Of patients LN+ at diagnosis, 78 (37%) were rN3. After NST, 162 patients (47%) were node-positive at operation with a median (mean) of 3 (5.9 ± 0.4) positive lymph nodes including 128 of 213 (60%) LN+ at diagnosis. Pre-NST rN stage correlated with the likelihood and extent of axillary disease at operation, p = 0.002. Fifty four of 89 rN3 patients (61%) were node-positive at operation with a median (mean) of 5 (8 ± 1) positive nodes. rN3 patients had larger nodal metastases (median 9 vs 6 mm) and more

Cross-sectional imaging to evaluate the extent of regional nodal disease in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant systemic therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Tara L.; Glazebrook, Katrina N.; Murphy, Brittany L.; Viers, Lyndsay D.; Hieken, Tina J

2017-01-01

Purpose: Cross-sectional imaging often is performed in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) and may identify level III axillary and extra-axillary nodal disease. Our aim was to investigate associations of radiologic nodal staging with pathological N (pN) stage at operation and to explore how this might aid surgical and radiotherapy treatment planning. Materials and methods: With IRB approval, we reviewed pre-treatment breast MRI, PET/CT, and CT imaging and clinicopathologic data on 348 breast cancer patients with imaging available for review undergoing NST followed by operation at our institution 1/2008-9/2013. We defined abnormal lymph node findings on MRI, CT, and PET/CT to include cortical thickening, FDG-avidity and loss of fatty hilum. Patients were assigned a radiologic nodal (rN) stage based on imaging findings. Statistical analysis was performed using JMP 10.1 software Results: Pre-NST imaging included axillary ultrasound in 338 patients (97%), breast MRI in 305 (88%) and PET/CT or CT in 215 (62%). 213 patients (61%) were biopsy-proven axillary lymph node-positive (LN+) pre-treatment. cT stage was T1 in 9%, T2 in 49%, T3 in 29%, T4 in 12%; median tumor size was 4 cm. Pre-treatment rN stage across all the patients was rN0 in 86 (25%), rN1 in 173 (50%), and rN3 in 89 (26%). rN3 disease included level III axillary, supraclavicular and suspicious internal mammary lymph nodes in 47 (53%), 32 (37%) and 45 (52%), respectively. Of patients LN+ at diagnosis, 78 (37%) were rN3. After NST, 162 patients (47%) were node-positive at operation with a median (mean) of 3 (5.9 ± 0.4) positive lymph nodes including 128 of 213 (60%) LN+ at diagnosis. Pre-NST rN stage correlated with the likelihood and extent of axillary disease at operation, p = 0.002. Fifty four of 89 rN3 patients (61%) were node-positive at operation with a median (mean) of 5 (8 ± 1) positive nodes. rN3 patients had larger nodal metastases (median 9 vs 6 mm) and more

A spectral nodal method for discrete ordinates problems in x,y geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, R.C. de; Larsen, E.W.

1991-06-01

A new nodal method is proposed for the solution of S N problems in x- y-geometry. This method uses the Spectral Green's Function (SGF) scheme for solving the one-dimensional transverse-integrated nodal transport equations with no spatial truncation error. Thus, the only approximations in the x, y-geometry nodal method occur in the transverse leakage terms, as in diffusion theory. We approximate these leakage terms using a flat or constant approximation, and we refer to the resulting method as the SGF-Constant Nodal (SGF-CN) method. We show in numerical calculations that the SGF-CN method is much more accurate than other well-known transport nodal methods for coarse-mesh deep-penetration S N problems, even though the transverse leakage terms are approximated rather simply. (author)

Advances in the solution of three-dimensional nodal neutron transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazos, Ruben Panta; Hauser, Eliete Biasotto; Vilhena, Marco Tullio de

2003-01-01

In this paper we study the three-dimensional nodal discrete-ordinates approximations of neutron transport equation in a convex domain with piecewise smooth boundaries. We use the combined collocation method of the angular variables and nodal approach for the spatial variables. By nodal approach we mean the iterated transverse integration of the S N equations. This procedure leads to the set of one-dimensional averages angular fluxes in each spatial variable. The resulting system of equations is solved with the LTS N method, first applying the Laplace transform to the set of the nodal S N equations and then obtaining the solution by symbolic computation. We include the LTS N method by diagonalization to solve the nodal neutron transport equation and then we outline the convergence of these nodal-LTS N approximations with the help of a norm associated to the quadrature formula used to approximate the integral term of the neutron transport equation. We give numerical results obtained with an algebraic computer system (for N up to 8) and with a code for higher values of N. We compare our results for the geometry of a box with a source in a vertex and a leakage zone in the opposite with others techniques used in this problem. (author)

Optical conductivity of three and two dimensional topological nodal-line semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Barati, Shahin; Abedinpour, Saeed H.

2017-10-01

The peculiar shape of the Fermi surface of topological nodal-line semimetals at low carrier concentrations results in their unusual optical and transport properties. We analytically investigate the linear optical responses of three- and two-dimensional nodal-line semimetals using the Kubo formula. The optical conductivity of a three-dimensional nodal-line semimetal is anisotropic. Along the axial direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the nodal-ring plane), the Drude weight has a linear dependence on the chemical potential at both low and high carrier dopings. For the radial direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the nodal-ring plane), this dependence changes from linear into quadratic in the transition from low into high carrier concentration. The interband contribution into optical conductivity is also anisotropic. In particular, at large frequencies, it saturates to a constant value for the axial direction and linearly increases with frequency along the radial direction. In two-dimensional nodal-line semimetals, no interband optical transition could be induced and the only contribution to the optical conductivity arises from the intraband excitations. The corresponding Drude weight is independent of the carrier density at low carrier concentrations and linearly increases with chemical potential at high carrier doping.

Analysis of the asymmetrically expressed Ablim1 locus reveals existence of a lateral plate Nodal-independent left sided signal and an early, left-right independent role for nodal flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilton Helen

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vertebrates show clear asymmetry in left-right (L-R patterning of their organs and associated vasculature. During mammalian development a cilia driven leftwards flow of liquid leads to the left-sided expression of Nodal, which in turn activates asymmetric expression of the transcription factor Pitx2. While Pitx2 asymmetry drives many aspects of asymmetric morphogenesis, it is clear from published data that additional asymmetrically expressed loci must exist. Results A L-R expression screen identified the cytoskeletally-associated gene, actin binding lim protein 1 (Ablim1, as asymmetrically expressed in both the node and left lateral plate mesoderm (LPM. LPM expression closely mirrors that of Nodal. Significantly, Ablim1 LPM asymmetry was detected in the absence of detectable Nodal. In the node, Ablim1 was initially expressed symmetrically across the entire structure, resolving to give a peri-nodal ring at the headfold stage in a flow and Pkd2-dependent manner. The peri-nodal ring of Ablim1 expression became asymmetric by the mid-headfold stage, showing stronger right than left-sided expression. Node asymmetry became more apparent as development proceeded; expression retreated in an anticlockwise direction, disappearing first from the left anterior node. Indeed, at early somite stages Ablim1 shows a unique asymmetric expression pattern, in the left lateral plate and to the right side of the node. Conclusion Left LPM Ablim1 is expressed in the absence of detectable LPM Nodal, clearly revealing existence of a Pitx2 and Nodal-independent left-sided signal in mammals. At the node, a previously unrecognised action of early nodal flow and Pkd2 activity, within the pit of the node, influences gene expression in a symmetric manner. Subsequent Ablim1 expression in the peri-nodal ring reveals a very early indication of L-R asymmetry. Ablim1 expression analysis at the node acts as an indicator of nodal flow. Together these results make

Nodal Structure of the Electronic Wigner Function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmider, Hartmut; Dahl, Jens Peder

1996-01-01

On the example of several atomic and small molecular systems, the regular behavior of nodal patterns in the electronic one-particle reduced Wigner function is demonstrated. An expression found earlier relates the nodal pattern solely to the dot-product of the position and the momentum vector......, if both arguments are large. An argument analogous to the ``bond-oscillatory principle'' for momentum densities links the nuclear framework in a molecule to an additional oscillatory term in momenta parallel to bonds. It is shown that these are visible in the Wigner function in terms of characteristic...

Pathology of nodal marginal zone lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Pileri, Stefano; Ponzoni, Maurilio

Nodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (NMZLs) are a rare group of lymphoid disorders part of the spectrum of marginal zone B-cell lymphomas, which encompass splenic marginal one B-cell lymphoma (SMZL) and extra nodal marginal zone of B-cell lymphoma (EMZL), often of MALT-type. Two clinicopathological forms of NMZL are recognized: adult-type and pediatric-type, respectively. NMZLs show overlapping features with other types of MZ, but distinctive features as well. In this review, we will focus on the salient distinguishing features of NMZL mostly under morphological/immunophenotypical/molecular perspectives in views of the recent acquisitions and forthcoming updated 2016 WHO classification of lymphoid malignancies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ANOVA-HDMR structure of the higher order nodal diffusion solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bokov, P. M.; Prinsloo, R. H.; Tomasevic, D. I.

2013-01-01

Nodal diffusion methods still represent a standard in global reactor calculations, but employ some ad-hoc approximations (such as the quadratic leakage approximation) which limit their accuracy in cases where reference quality solutions are sought. In this work we solve the nodal diffusion equations utilizing the so-called higher-order nodal methods to generate reference quality solutions and to decompose the obtained solutions via a technique known as High Dimensional Model Representation (HDMR). This representation and associated decomposition of the solution provides a new formulation of the transverse leakage term. The HDMR structure is investigated via the technique of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which indicates why the existing class of transversely-integrated nodal methods prove to be so successful. Furthermore, the analysis leads to a potential solution method for generating reference quality solutions at a much reduced calculational cost, by applying the ANOVA technique to the full higher order solution. (authors)

In Vitro Regeneration of Shoots From Nodal Explants of Dendrobium Chrysotoxum Lindl

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Kaur Saranjeet

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Transverse sections (2 mm thickness of stem-nodes from in vitro raised seedlings had morphogenic potential on semisolid and liquid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with cytokinins N6-benzyladenine (BA 4.44 μM, furfurylaminopurine (KIN 4.65 μM and auxin α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA 5.37 μM individually and in combinations. The regeneration response was influenced by both the type of growth regulator and physical state of the medium. The explants produced either shoot buds on cytokinincontaining media or protocorm-like bodies (PLBs on NAA containing media both solid and liquid. More neo-formations were produced on liquid media, especially those containing only NAA. They were formed at nodal and inter-nodal regions. The secondary buds were produced on the surface of primary PLBs. The plantlets were developed on MS medium containing banana homogenate 50 g·dm-3. The current study is the first ever report on successful regeneration of Dendrobium chrysotoxum from stem-node segments.

A polygonal nodal SP3 method for whole core Pin-by-Pin neutronics calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yunzhao; Wu, Hongchun; Cao, Liangzhi, E-mail: xjtulyz@gmail.com, E-mail: hongchun@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: caolz@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi (China)

2011-07-01

In this polygonal nodal-SP3 method, neutron transport equation is transformed by employing an isotropic SP3 method into two coupled equations that are both in the same mathematic form with the diffusion equation, and then a polygonal nodal method is proposed to solve the two coupled equations. In the polygonal nodal method, adjacent nodes are coupled through partial currents, and a nodal response matrix between incoming and outgoing currents is obtained by expanding detailed nodal flux distribution into a sum of exponential functions. This method avoids the transverse integral technique, which is widely used in regular nodal method and can not be used in triangular geometry because of the mathematical singularity. It is demonstrated by the numerical results of the test problems that the k{sub eff} and power distribution agree well with other codes, the triangular nodal-SP3 method appears faster, and that whole core pin-by-pin transport calculation with fine meshes is feasible after parallelization and acceleration. (author)

Five-point form of the nodal diffusion method and comparison with finite-difference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1988-01-01

Nodal Methods have been derived, implemented and numerically tested for several problems in physics and engineering. In the field of nuclear engineering, many nodal formalisms have been used for the neutron diffusion equation, all yielding results which were far more computationally efficient than conventional Finite Difference (FD) and Finite Element (FE) methods. However, not much effort has been devoted to theoretically comparing nodal and FD methods in order to explain the very high accuracy of the former. In this summary we outline the derivation of a simple five-point form for the lowest order nodal method and compare it to the traditional five-point, edge-centered FD scheme. The effect of the observed differences on the accuracy of the respective methods is established by considering a simple test problem. It must be emphasized that the nodal five-point scheme derived here is mathematically equivalent to previously derived lowest order nodal methods. 7 refs., 1 tab

Cilia are required for asymmetric nodal induction in the sea urchin embryo.

Science.gov (United States)

Tisler, Matthias; Wetzel, Franziska; Mantino, Sabrina; Kremnyov, Stanislav; Thumberger, Thomas; Schweickert, Axel; Blum, Martin; Vick, Philipp

2016-08-23

Left-right (LR) organ asymmetries are a common feature of metazoan animals. In many cases, laterality is established by a conserved asymmetric Nodal signaling cascade during embryogenesis. In most vertebrates, asymmetric nodal induction results from a cilia-driven leftward fluid flow at the left-right organizer (LRO), a ciliated epithelium present during gastrula/neurula stages. Conservation of LRO and flow beyond the vertebrates has not been reported yet. Here we study sea urchin embryos, which use nodal to establish larval LR asymmetry as well. Cilia were found in the archenteron of embryos undergoing gastrulation. Expression of foxj1 and dnah9 suggested that archenteron cilia were motile. Cilia were polarized to the posterior pole of cells, a prerequisite of directed flow. High-speed videography revealed rotating cilia in the archenteron slightly before asymmetric nodal induction. Removal of cilia through brief high salt treatments resulted in aberrant patterns of nodal expression. Our data demonstrate that cilia - like in vertebrates - are required for asymmetric nodal induction in sea urchin embryos. Based on these results we argue that the anterior archenteron represents a bona fide LRO and propose that cilia-based symmetry breakage is a synapomorphy of the deuterostomes.

The application of modern nodal methods to PWR reactor physics analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, M.P.

1988-06-01

The objective of this research is to develop efficient computational procedures for PWR reactor calculations, based on modern nodal methods. The analytic nodal method, which is characterised by the use of exact exponential expansions in transverse-integrated equations, is implemented within an existing finite-difference code. This shows considerable accuracy and efficiency on standard benchmark problems, very much in line with existing experience with nodal methods., Assembly powers can be calculated to within 2.0% with just one mesh per assembly. (author)

A spectral nodal method for eigenvalue SN transport problems in two-dimensional rectangular geometry for energy multigroup nuclear reactor global calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Davi Jose M.; Alves Filho, Hermes; Barros, Ricardo C.

2015-01-01

A spectral nodal method is developed for multigroup x,y-geometry discrete ordinates (S N ) eigenvalue problems for nuclear reactor global calculations. This method uses the conventional multigroup SN discretized spatial balance nodal equations with two non-standard auxiliary equations: the spectral diamond (SD) auxiliary equations for the discretization nodes inside the fuel regions, and the spectral Green's function (SGF) auxiliary equations for the non-multiplying regions, such as the baffle and the reactor. This spectral nodal method is derived from the analytical general solution of the SN transverse integrated nodal equations with constant approximations for the transverse leakage terms within each discretization node. The SD and SGF auxiliary equations have parameters, which are determined to preserve the homogeneous and the particular components of these local general solutions. Therefore, we refer to the offered method as the hybrid SD-SGF-Constant Nodal (SD-SGF-CN) method. The S N discretized spatial balance equations, together with the SD and the SGF auxiliary equations form the SD-SGF-CN equations. We solve the SD-SGF-CN equations by using the one-node block inversion inner iterations (NBI), wherein the most recent estimates for the incoming group node-edge average or prescribed boundary conditions are used to evaluate the outgoing group node-edge average fluxes in the directions of the S N transport sweeps, for each estimate of the dominant eigenvalue in the conventional Power outer iterations. We show in numerical calculations that the SD-SGF-CN method is very accurate for coarse-mesh multigroup S N eigenvalue problems, even though the transverse leakage terms are approximated rather simply. (author)

Quantum oscillation signatures of spin-orbit interactions controlling the residual nodal bilayer-splitting in underdoped high-Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil; Shekhter, Arkady

2015-03-01

We investigate the origin of the small residual nodal bilayer-splitting in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x using the results of recently published angle-resolved quantum oscillation data [Sebastian et al., Nature 511, 61 (2014)]. A crucial clue to the origin of the residual bilayer-splitting is found to be provided by the anomalously small Zeeman-splitting of some of the observed cyclotron orbits. We show that such an anomalously Zeeman-splitting (or small effective g-factor) for a subset of orbits can be explained by spin-orbit interactions, which become significant in the nodal regions as a result of the vanishing bilayer coupling. The primary effect of spin-orbit interactions is to cause quasiparticles traversing the nodal region of the Brillouin zone to undergo a spin flip. We suggest that the Rashba-like spin-orbit interactions, naturally present in bilayer systems, have the right symmetry and magnitude to give rise to a network of coupled orbits consistent with experimental observations in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. This work is supported by the DOEm BES proposal LANLF100, while the magnet lab is supported by the NSF and Florida State.

Nodal Clearance Rate and Long-Term Efficacy of Individualized Sentinel Node–Based Pelvic Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for High-Risk Prostate Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Müller, Arndt-Christian, E-mail: arndt-christian.mueller@med.uni-tuebingen.de [Department of Radiation Oncology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany); Eckert, Franziska; Paulsen, Frank; Zips, Daniel [Department of Radiation Oncology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany); Stenzl, Arnulf; Schilling, David [Department of Urology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany); Alber, Markus [Department of Oncology, Aarhus University, Aarhus (Denmark); Bares, Roland [Department of Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Molecular Imaging, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany); Martus, Peter [Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany); Weckermann, Dorothea [Department of Urology, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg (Germany); Belka, Claus; Ganswindt, Ute [Department of Radiation Oncology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich (Germany)

2016-02-01

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of individual sentinel node (SN)-guided pelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) by determining nodal clearance rate [(n expected nodal involvement − n observed regional recurrences)/n expected nodal involvement] in comparison with surgically staged patients. Methods and Materials: Data on 475 high-risk prostate cancer patients were examined. Sixty-one consecutive patients received pelvic SN-based IMRT (5 × 1.8 Gy/wk to 50.4 Gy [pelvic nodes + individual SN] and an integrated boost with 5 × 2.0 Gy/wk to 70.0 Gy to prostate + [base of] seminal vesicles) and neo-/adjuvant long-term androgen deprivation therapy; 414 patients after SN–pelvic lymph node dissection were used to calculate the expected nodal involvement rate for the radiation therapy sample. Biochemical control and overall survival were estimated for the SN-IMRT patients using the Kaplan-Meier method. The expected frequency of nodal involvement in the radiation therapy group was estimated by imputing frequencies of node-positive patients in the surgical sample to the pattern of Gleason, prostate-specific antigen, and T category in the radiation therapy sample. Results: After a median follow-up of 61 months, 5-year OS after SN-guided IMRT reached 84.4%. Biochemical control according to the Phoenix definition was 73.8%. The nodal clearance rate of SN-IMRT reached 94%. Retrospective follow-up evaluation is the main limitation. Conclusions: Radiation treatment of pelvic nodes individualized by inclusion of SNs is an effective regional treatment modality in high-risk prostate cancer patients. The pattern of relapse indicates that the SN-based target volume concept correctly covers individual pelvic nodes. Thus, this SN-based approach justifies further evaluation, including current dose-escalation strategies to the prostate in a larger prospective series.

NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF SINGULAR INVERSE NODAL PROBLEM BY USING CHEBYSHEV POLYNOMIALS

OpenAIRE

NEAMATY, ABDOLALI; YILMAZ, EMRAH; AKBARPOOR, SHAHRBANOO; DABBAGHIAN, ABDOLHADI

2017-01-01

In this study, we consider Sturm-Liouville problem in two cases: the first case having no singularity and the second case having a singularity at zero. Then, we calculate the eigenvalues and the nodal points and present the uniqueness theorem for the solution of the inverse problem by using a dense subset of the nodal points in two given cases. Also, we use Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind for calculating the approximate solution of the inverse nodal problem in these cases. Finally, we...

Modifying nodal pricing method considering market participants optimality and reliability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Soofiabadi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a method for nodal pricing and market clearing mechanism considering reliability of the system. The effects of components reliability on electricity price, market participants’ profit and system social welfare is considered. This paper considers reliability both for evaluation of market participant’s optimality as well as for fair pricing and market clearing mechanism. To achieve fair pricing, nodal price has been obtained through a two stage optimization problem and to achieve fair market clearing mechanism, comprehensive criteria has been introduced for optimality evaluation of market participant. Social welfare of the system and system efficiency are increased under proposed modified nodal pricing method.

Elsevier Trophoblast Research Award lecture: The multifaceted role of Nodal signaling during mammalian reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, C B; Dufort, D

2011-03-01

Nodal, a secreted signaling protein in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily, has established roles in vertebrate development. However, components of the Nodal signaling pathway are also expressed at the maternal-fetal interface and have been implicated in many processes of mammalian reproduction. Emerging evidence indicates that Nodal and its extracellular inhibitor Lefty are expressed in the uterus and complex interactions between the two proteins mediate menstruation, decidualization and embryo implantation. Furthermore, several studies have shown that Nodal from both fetal and maternal sources may regulate trophoblast cell fate and facilitate placentation as both embryonic and uterine-specific Nodal knockout mouse strains exhibit disrupted placenta morphology. Here we review the established and prospective roles of Nodal signaling in facilitating successful pregnancy, including recent evidence supporting a potential link to parturition and preterm birth. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypofractionated regional nodal irradiation for breast cancer: Examining the data and potential for future studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badiyan, Shahed N.; Shah, Chirag; Arthur, Douglas; Khan, Atif J.; Freedman, Gary; Poppe, Matthew M.; Vicini, Frank A.

2014-01-01

Limited data are available examining the role of hypofractionated radiation schedules in the management of women requiring regional nodal irradiation (RNI). The purpose of this review is to examine the available literature for the efficacy (where available) and toxicity of hypofractionated radiation schedules in breast cancer with RNI limited to the axilla and supraclavicular regions. Multiple randomized and prospective studies have documented the safety and efficacy of hypofractionated schedules delivering whole breast irradiation (WBI) alone. Subsets from these randomized trials and smaller prospective/single-institution studies have documented the feasibility of hypofractionated RNI but the limited numbers prevent definitive conclusions and limited efficacy data are available. With regard to possible toxicity affecting organs at risk with RNI, key structures include the breast, skin, heart, lungs, axilla (lymphedema), and brachial plexus. Based on data from several randomized trials, hypofractionated radiation is not associated with significant changes in breast toxicity/cosmesis or cardiac toxicity; the addition of hypofractionated RNI would not be expected to change the rates of breast or cardiac toxicity. While RNI has been shown to increase rates of pulmonary toxicity, hypofractionated RNI has not been associated with more frequent pulmonary complications than standard RNI. Moving forward, future studies will have to evaluate for increased lung toxicity. With regard to lymphedema, data from randomized hypofractionated WBI trials failed to demonstrate an increase in lymphedema and smaller studies utilizing hypofractionated RNI have failed to as well. Data from head and neck cancer as well as hypofractionated breast radiation with RNI have failed to demonstrate an increase in brachial plexopathy with the exception of older trials that used much larger dose per fraction (>4 Gy/fraction) schedules. At this time, published data support the feasibility of

Churchill regulates cell movement and mesoderm specification by repressing Nodal signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mentzer Laura

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cell movements are essential to the determination of cell fates during development. The zinc-finger transcription factor, Churchill (ChCh has been proposed to regulate cell fate by regulating cell movements during gastrulation in the chick. However, the mechanism of action of ChCh is not understood. Results We demonstrate that ChCh acts to repress the response to Nodal-related signals in zebrafish. When ChCh function is abrogated the expression of mesodermal markers is enhanced while ectodermal markers are expressed at decreased levels. In cell transplant assays, we observed that ChCh-deficient cells are more motile than wild-type cells. When placed in wild-type hosts, ChCh-deficient cells often leave the epiblast, migrate to the germ ring and are later found in mesodermal structures. We demonstrate that both movement of ChCh-compromised cells to the germ ring and acquisition of mesodermal character depend on the ability of the donor cells to respond to Nodal signals. Blocking Nodal signaling in the donor cells at the levels of Oep, Alk receptors or Fast1 inhibited migration to the germ ring and mesodermal fate change in the donor cells. We also detect additional unusual movements of transplanted ChCh-deficient cells which suggests that movement and acquisition of mesodermal character can be uncoupled. Finally, we demonstrate that ChCh is required to limit the transcriptional response to Nodal. Conclusion These data establish a broad role for ChCh in regulating both cell movement and Nodal signaling during early zebrafish development. We show that chch is required to limit mesodermal gene expression, inhibit Nodal-dependant movement of presumptive ectodermal cells and repress the transcriptional response to Nodal signaling. These findings reveal a dynamic role for chch in regulating cell movement and fate during early development.

Solution and Study of the Two-Dimensional Nodal Neutron Transport Equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panta Pazos, Ruben; Biasotto Hauser, Eliete; Tullio de Vilhena, Marco

2002-01-01

In the last decade Vilhena and coworkers reported an analytical solution to the two-dimensional nodal discrete-ordinates approximations of the neutron transport equation in a convex domain. The key feature of these works was the application of the combined collocation method of the angular variable and nodal approach in the spatial variables. By nodal approach we mean the transverse integration of the SN equations. This procedure leads to a set of one-dimensional S N equations for the average angular fluxes in the variables x and y. These equations were solved by the old version of the LTS N method, which consists in the application of the Laplace transform to the set of nodal S N equations and solution of the resulting linear system by symbolic computation. It is important to recall that this procedure allow us to increase N the order of S N up to 16. To overcome this drawback we step forward performing a spectral painstaking analysis of the nodal S N equations for N up to 16 and we begin the convergence of the S N nodal equations defining an error for the angular flux and estimating the error in terms of the truncation error of the quadrature approximations of the integral term. Furthermore, we compare numerical results of this approach with those of other techniques used to solve the two-dimensional discrete approximations of the neutron transport equation. (authors)

Tumor microvessel density–associated mast cells in canine nodal lymphoma

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Elizabeth; Whittington, Lisa

2014-01-01

Objective: Mast cells are associated in angiogenesis in various human and animal neoplasms. However, association of mast cells with tumor microvessel density in canine lymphoma was not previously documented. The objective of the study is to determine if mast cells are increased in canine nodal lymphomas and to evaluate their correlation with tumor microvessel density and grading of lymphomas. Methods: Nodal lymphomas from 33 dogs were studied and compared with nonneoplastic lymph nodes from 6 dogs as control. Mast cell count was made on Toluidine blue stained sections. Immunohistochemistry using antibody against Factor VIII was employed to visualize and determine microvessel density. Results: The mast cell count in lymphoma (2.95 ± 2.4) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the control (0.83 ± 0.3) and was positively correlated with tumor microvessel density (r = 0.44, p = 0.009). Significant difference was not observed in mast cell count and tumor microvessel density among different gradings of lymphomas. Conclusions: Mast cells are associated with tumor microvessel density in canine nodal lymphoma with no significant difference among gradings of lymphomas. Mast cells may play an important role in development of canine nodal lymphomas. Further detailed investigation on the role of mast cells as important part of tumor microenvironment in canine nodal lymphomas is recommended. PMID:26770752

Tumor microvessel density–associated mast cells in canine nodal lymphoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moges Woldemeskel

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: Mast cells are associated in angiogenesis in various human and animal neoplasms. However, association of mast cells with tumor microvessel density in canine lymphoma was not previously documented. The objective of the study is to determine if mast cells are increased in canine nodal lymphomas and to evaluate their correlation with tumor microvessel density and grading of lymphomas. Methods: Nodal lymphomas from 33 dogs were studied and compared with nonneoplastic lymph nodes from 6 dogs as control. Mast cell count was made on Toluidine blue stained sections. Immunohistochemistry using antibody against Factor VIII was employed to visualize and determine microvessel density. Results: The mast cell count in lymphoma (2.95 ± 2.4 was significantly higher (p < 0.05 than that in the control (0.83 ± 0.3 and was positively correlated with tumor microvessel density (r = 0.44, p = 0.009. Significant difference was not observed in mast cell count and tumor microvessel density among different gradings of lymphomas. Conclusions: Mast cells are associated with tumor microvessel density in canine nodal lymphoma with no significant difference among gradings of lymphomas. Mast cells may play an important role in development of canine nodal lymphomas. Further detailed investigation on the role of mast cells as important part of tumor microenvironment in canine nodal lymphomas is recommended.

A computational study of nodal-based tetrahedral element behavior.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gullerud, Arne S.

2010-09-01

This report explores the behavior of nodal-based tetrahedral elements on six sample problems, and compares their solution to that of a corresponding hexahedral mesh. The problems demonstrate that while certain aspects of the solution field for the nodal-based tetrahedrons provide good quality results, the pressure field tends to be of poor quality. Results appear to be strongly affected by the connectivity of the tetrahedral elements. Simulations that rely on the pressure field, such as those which use material models that are dependent on the pressure (e.g. equation-of-state models), can generate erroneous results. Remeshing can also be strongly affected by these issues. The nodal-based test elements as they currently stand need to be used with caution to ensure that their numerical deficiencies do not adversely affect critical values of interest.

A new diffusion nodal method based on analytic basis function expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, J.M.; Cho, N.Z.

1993-01-01

The transverse integration procedure commonly used in most advanced nodal methods results in some limitations. The first is that the transverse leakage term that appears in the transverse integration procedure must be appropriately approximated. In most advanced nodal methods, this term is expanded in a quadratic polynomial. The second arises when reconstructing the pinwise flux distribution within a node. The available one-dimensional flux shapes from nodal calculation in each spatial direction cannot be used directly in the flux reconstruction. Finally, the transverse leakage defined for a hexagonal node becomes so complicated as not to be easily handled and contains nonphysical singular terms. In this paper, a new nodal method called the analytic function expansion nodal (AFEN) method is described for both the rectangular geometry and the hexagonal geometry in order to overcome these limitations. This method does not solve the transverse-integrated one-dimensional diffusion equations but instead solves directly the original multidimensional diffusion equation within a node. This is a accomplished by expanding the solution (or the intranodal homogeneous flux distribution) in terms of nonseparable analytic basis functions satisfying the diffusion equation at any point in the node

Omitting elective nodal irradiation during thoracic irradiation in limited-stage small cell lung cancer--evidence from a phase II trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Colaco, Rovel; Sheikh, Hamid; Lorigan, Paul; Blackhall, Fiona; Hulse, Paul; Califano, Raffaele; Ashcroft, Linda; Taylor, Paul; Thatcher, Nicholas; Faivre-Finn, Corinne

2012-04-01

Omitting elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in limited-stage disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC) is expected to result in smaller radiation fields. We report on data from a randomised phase II trial that omitted ENI in patients receiving concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for LD-SCLC. 38 patients with LD-SCLC were randomised to receive once-daily (66 Gy in 33 fractions) or twice-daily (45 Gy in 30 fractions) radiotherapy (RT). 3D-conformal RT was given concurrently with cisplatin and etoposide starting with the second cycle of a total of four cycles. The gross tumour volume was defined as primary tumour with involved lymph nodes (nodes ≥1 cm in short axis) identifiable with CT imaging. ENI was not used. Six recurrence patterns were identified: recurrence within planning target volume (PTV) only, recurrence within PTV+regional nodal recurrence and/or distant recurrence, isolated nodal recurrence outside PTV, nodal recurrence outside PTV+distant recurrence, distant metastases only and no recurrence. At median follow-up 16.9 months, 31/38 patients were evaluable and 14/31 patients had relapsed. There were no isolated nodal recurrences. Eight patients relapsed with intra-thoracic disease: 2 within PTV only, 4 within PTV and distantly and 2 with nodal recurrence outside PTV plus distant metastases. Rates of grade 3+ acute oesophagitis and pneumonitis in the 31 evaluable patients were 23 and 3% respectively. In our study of LD-SCLC, omitting ENI based on CT imaging was not associated with a high risk of isolated nodal recurrence, although further prospective studies are needed to confirm this. Routine ENI omission will be further evaluated prospectively in the ongoing phase III CONVERT trial (NCT00433563). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extension of the linear nodal method to large concrete building calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Childs, R.L.; Rhoades, W.A.

1985-01-01

The implementation of the linear nodal method in the TORT code is described, and the results of a mesh refinement study to test the effectiveness of the linear nodal and weighted diamond difference methods available in TORT are presented

Patterns of failure after induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: the Queen Mary Hospital experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chua, Daniel T.T.; Sham, Jonathan S.T.; Choy, Damon; Kwong, Dora L.W.; Au, Gordon K.H.; Kwong, Philip W.K.; Yau, C.-C.; Cheng, Ashley C.K.; Wan, K.Y.

2001-01-01

. The median RFS was 83 months in the CT arm and 37 months in the RT arm. The median OAS has not yet been reached for both arms. No significant differences were found for the various endpoints, although there was a trend suggesting better nodal control in the CT arm. The 5-year rates for the various endpoints in the CT arm vs. the RT arm were: 53% vs. 42% for RFS (p = 0.13), 70% vs. 67% for OAS (p = 0.68), 80% vs. 77% for LRFS (p = 0.73), 89% vs. 80% for NRFS (p = 0.079), and 70% vs. 68% for DMFS (p = 0.59). There was also no significant difference in the patterns of failure between both arms: in the CT arm, 28% of failures were local only, 13% regional only, 4% locoregional, 44% distant, and 11% mixed locoregional and distant. In the RT arm, 23% of failures were local only, 13% regional only, 11% locoregional, 43% distant, and 9% mixed locoregional and distant. Conclusion: Induction chemotherapy with the regimen used in the current study did not improve the treatment outcome or alter the failure patterns in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC, although there was a trend suggesting better nodal control in the combined modality arm. Alternative strategies of combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy should be tested and employed instead

Regional Nodal Irradiation After Breast Conserving Surgery for Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Results of a Subanalysis From the ALTTO Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Gingras, Isabelle; Holmes, Eileen; De Azambuja, Evandro; Nguyen, David H A; Izquierdo, Miguel; Anne Zujewski, Jo; Inbar, Moshe; Naume, Bjorn; Tomasello, Gianluca; Gralow, Julie R; Wolff, Antonio C; Harris, Lyndsay; Gnant, Michael; Moreno-Aspitia, Alvaro; Piccart, Martine J; Azim, Hatem A

2017-08-01

Two randomized trials recently demonstrated that regional nodal irradiation (RNI) could reduce the risk of recurrence in early breast cancer; however, these trials were conducted in the pretrastuzumab era. Whether these results are applicable to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients treated with anti-HER2-targeted therapy is unknown. This retrospective analysis was performed on patients with node-positive breast cancer who were enrolled in the Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization phase III adjuvant trial and subjected to BCS. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the effect of RNI on disease-free survival (DFS). A multivariable cox regression analysis adjusted for number of positive lymph nodes, tumor size, grade, age, hormone receptors status, presence of macrometastatis, treatment arm, and chemotherapy timing was carried out to investigate the relationship between RNI and DFS. One thousand six hundred sixty-four HER2-positive breast cancer patients were included, of whom 878 (52.8%) had received RNI to the axillary, supraclavicular, and/or internal mammary lymph nodes. Patients in the RNI group had higher nodal burden and more frequently had tumors larger than 2 cm. At a median follow-up of 4.5 years, DFS was 84.3% in the RNI group and 88.3% in the non-RNI group. No differences in regional recurrence (0.9 % vs 0.6 %) or in overall survival (93.6% vs 95.3%) were observed between the two groups. After adjustment in multivariable analysis, there was no statistically significant association between RNI and DFS (hazard ratio = 0.96, 95% confidence interval = 0.71 to 1.29). Our analysis did not demonstrate a DFS benefit of RNI in HER2-positive, node-positive patients treated with adjuvant HER2-targeted therapy. The benefit of RNI in HER2-positive breast cancer needs further testing within randomized clinical trials. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All

A transient, Hex-Z nodal code corrected by discontinuity factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shatilla, Y.A.M.; Henry, A.F.

1993-01-01

This document constitutes Volume 1 of the Final Report of a three-year study supported by the special Research Grant Program for Nuclear Energy Research set up by the US Department of Energy. The original motivation for the work was to provide a fast and accurate computer program for the analysis of transients in heavy water or graphite-moderated reactors being considered as candidates for the New Production Reactor. Thus, part of the funding was by way of pass-through money from the Savannah River Laboratory. With this intent in mind, a three-dimensional (Hex-Z), general-energy-group transient, nodal code was created, programmed, and tested. In order to improve accuracy, correction terms, called open-quotes discontinuity factors,close quotes were incorporated into the nodal equations. Ideal values of these factors force the nodal equations to provide node-integrated reaction rates and leakage rates across nodal surfaces that match exactly those edited from a more exact reference calculation. Since the exact reference solution is needed to compute the ideal discontinuity factors, the fact that they result in exact nodal equations would be of little practical interest were it not that approximate discontinuity factors, found at a greatly reduced cost, often yield very accurate results. For example, for light-water reactors, discontinuity factors found from two-dimensional, fine-mesh, multigroup transport solutions for two-dimensional cuts of a fuel assembly provide very accurate predictions of three-dimensional, full-core power distributions. The present document (volume 1) deals primarily with the specification, programming and testing of the three-dimensional, Hex-Z computer program. The program solves both the static (eigenvalue) and transient, general-energy-group, nodal equations corrected by user-supplied discontinuity factors

Development of one-energy group, two-dimensional, frequency dependent detector adjoint function based on the nodal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khericha, Soli T.

2000-01-01

One-energy group, two-dimensional computer code was developed to calculate the response of a detector to a vibrating absorber in a reactor core. A concept of local/global components, based on the frequency dependent detector adjoint function, and a nodalization technique were utilized. The frequency dependent detector adjoint functions presented by complex equations were expanded into real and imaginary parts. In the nodalization technique, the flux is expanded into polynomials about the center point of each node. The phase angle and the magnitude of the one-energy group detector adjoint function were calculated for a detector located in the center of a 200x200 cm reactor using a two-dimensional nodalization technique, the computer code EXTERMINATOR, and the analytical solution. The purpose of this research was to investigate the applicability of a polynomial nodal model technique to the calculations of the real and the imaginary parts of the detector adjoint function for one-energy group two-dimensional polynomial nodal model technique. From the results as discussed earlier, it is concluded that the nodal model technique can be used to calculate the detector adjoint function and the phase angle. Using the computer code developed for nodal model technique, the magnitude of one energy group frequency dependent detector adjoint function and the phase angle were calculated for the detector located in the center of a 200x200 cm homogenous reactor. The real part of the detector adjoint function was compared with the results obtained from the EXTERMINATOR computer code as well as the analytical solution based on a double sine series expansion using the classical Green's Function solution. The values were found to be less than 1% greater at 20 cm away from the source region and about 3% greater closer to the source compared to the values obtained from the analytical solution and the EXTERMINATOR code. The currents at the node interface matched within 1% of the average

On the Nodal Lines of Eisenstein Series on Schottky Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Jakobson, Dmitry; Naud, Frédéric

2017-04-01

On convex co-compact hyperbolic surfaces {X=Γ backslash H2}, we investigate the behavior of nodal curves of real valued Eisenstein series {F_λ(z,ξ)}, where {λ} is the spectral parameter, {ξ} the direction at infinity. Eisenstein series are (non-{L^2}) eigenfunctions of the Laplacian {Δ_X} satisfying {Δ_X F_λ=(1/4+λ^2)F_λ}. As {λ} goes to infinity (the high energy limit), we show that, for generic {ξ}, the number of intersections of nodal lines with any compact segment of geodesic grows like {λ}, up to multiplicative constants. Applications to the number of nodal domains inside the convex core of the surface are then derived.

Torsionfree Sheaves over a Nodal Curve of Arithmetic Genus One

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We classify all isomorphism classes of stable torsionfree sheaves on an irreducible nodal curve of arithmetic genus one defined over C C . Let be a nodal curve of arithmetic genus one defined over R R , with exactly one node, such that does not have any real points apart from the node. We classify all isomorphism ...

Nodal spectrum method for solving neutron diffusion equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, D.; Garcia, C. R.; Barros, R. C. de; Milian, D.E.

1999-01-01

Presented here is a new numerical nodal method for solving static multidimensional neutron diffusion equation in rectangular geometry. Our method is based on a spectral analysis of the nodal diffusion equations. These equations are obtained by integrating the diffusion equation in X, Y directions and then considering flat approximations for the current. These flat approximations are the only approximations that are considered in this method, as a result the numerical solutions are completely free from truncation errors. We show numerical results to illustrate the methods accuracy for coarse mesh calculations

Solution and study of nodal neutron transport equation applying the LTSN-DiagExp method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauser, Eliete Biasotto; Pazos, Ruben Panta; Vilhena, Marco Tullio de; Barros, Ricardo Carvalho de

2003-01-01

In this paper we report advances about the three-dimensional nodal discrete-ordinates approximations of neutron transport equation for Cartesian geometry. We use the combined collocation method of the angular variables and nodal approach for the spatial variables. By nodal approach we mean the iterated transverse integration of the S N equations. This procedure leads to the set of one-dimensional averages angular fluxes in each spatial variable. The resulting system of equations is solved with the LTS N method, first applying the Laplace transform to the set of the nodal S N equations and then obtained the solution by symbolic computation. We include the LTS N method by diagonalization to solve the nodal neutron transport equation and then we outline the convergence of these nodal-LTS N approximations with the help of a norm associated to the quadrature formula used to approximate the integral term of the neutron transport equation. (author)

TGF-β promotes glioma cell growth via activating Nodal expression through Smad and ERK1/2 pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Jing; Liu, Su-zhi; Lin, Yan; Cao, Xiao-pan; Liu, Jia-ming

2014-01-01

Highlights: •TGF-β promoted Nodal expression in glioma cells. •TGF-β promoted Nodal expression via activating Smad and ERK1/2 pathways. •TGF-β promotes glioma cell growth via activating Nodal expression. -- Abstract: While there were certain studies focusing on the mechanism of TGF-β promoting the growth of glioma cells, the present work revealed another novel mechanism that TGF-β may promote glioma cell growth via enhancing Nodal expression. Our results showed that Nodal expression was significantly upregulated in glioma cells when TGF-β was added, whereas the TGF-β-induced Nodal expression was evidently inhibited by transfection Smad2 or Smad3 siRNAs, and the suppression was especially significant when the Smad3 was downregulated. Another, the attenuation of TGF-β-induced Nodal expression was observed with blockade of the ERK1/2 pathway also. Further detection of the proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion of glioma cells indicated that Nodal overexpression promoted the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells and inhibited their apoptosis, resembling the effect of TGF-β addition. Downregulation of Nodal expression via transfection Nodal-specific siRNA in the presence of TGF-β weakened the promoting effect of the latter on glioma cells growth, and transfecting Nodal siRNA alone in the absence of exogenous TGF-β more profoundly inhibited the growth of glioma cells. These results demonstrated that while both TGF-β and Nodal promoted glioma cells growth, the former might exert such effect by enhancing Nodal expression, which may form a new target for glioma therapy

Topological crystalline superconductivity and second-order topological superconductivity in nodal-loop materials

Science.gov (United States)

Shapourian, Hassan; Wang, Yuxuan; Ryu, Shinsei

2018-03-01

We study the intrinsic fully gapped odd-parity superconducting order in doped nodal-loop materials with a torus-shaped Fermi surface. We show that the mirror symmetry, which protects the nodal loop in the normal state, also protects the superconducting state as a topological crystalline superconductor. As a result, the surfaces preserving the mirror symmetry host gapless Majorana cones. Moreover, for a Weyl-loop system (twofold degenerate at the nodal loop), the surfaces that break the mirror symmetry (those parallel to the bulk nodal loop) contribute a Chern (winding) number to the quasi-two-dimensional system in a slab geometry, which leads to a quantized thermal Hall effect and a single Majorana zero mode bound at a vortex line penetrating the system. This Chern number can be viewed as a higher-order topological invariant, which supports hinge modes in a cubic sample when mirror symmetry is broken. For a Dirac-loop system (fourfold degenerate at the nodal loop), the fully gapped odd-parity state can be either time-reversal symmetry-breaking or symmetric, similar to the A and B phases of 3He. In a slab geometry, the A phase has a Chern number two, while the B phase carries a nontrivial Z2 invariant. We discuss the experimental relevance of our results to nodal-loop materials such as CaAgAs.

Dual Atrioventricular Nodal Pathways Physiology: A Review of Relevant Anatomy, Electrophysiology, and Electrocardiographic Manifestations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhalaghuru Chokkalingam Mani, MD

2014-01-01

Full Text Available More than half a century has passed since the concept of dual atrioventricular (AV nodal pathways physiology was conceived. Dual AV nodal pathways have been shown to be responsible for many clinical arrhythmia syndromes, most notably AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. Although there has been a considerable amount of research on this topic, the subject of dual AV nodal pathways physiology remains heavily debated and discussed. Despite advances in understanding arrhythmia mechanisms and the widespread use of invasive electrophysiologic studies, there is still disagreement on the anatomy and physiology of the AV node that is the basis of discontinuous antegrade AV conduction. The purpose of this paper is to review the concept of dual AV nodal pathways physiology and its varied electrocardiographic manifestations.

Congestive Heart Failure Leads to Prolongation of the PR Interval and Atrioventricular Junction Enlargement and Ion Channel Remodelling in the Rabbit

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolaidou, Theodora; Cai, Xue J.; Stephenson, Robert S.; Yanni, Joseph; Lowe, Tristan; Atkinson, Andrew J.; Jones, Caroline B.; Sardar, Rida; Corno, Antonio F.; Dobrzynski, Halina; Withers, Philip J.; Jarvis, Jonathan C.; Hart, George; Boyett, Mark R.

2015-01-01

Heart failure is a major killer worldwide. Atrioventricular conduction block is common in heart failure; it is associated with worse outcomes and can lead to syncope and bradycardic death. We examine the effect of heart failure on anatomical and ion channel remodelling in the rabbit atrioventricular junction (AVJ). Heart failure was induced in New Zealand rabbits by disruption of the aortic valve and banding of the abdominal aorta resulting in volume and pressure overload. Laser micro-dissection and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were employed to investigate the effects of heart failure on ion channel remodelling in four regions of the rabbit AVJ and in septal tissues. Investigation of the AVJ anatomy was performed using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Heart failure animals developed first degree heart block. Heart failure caused ventricular myocardial volume increase with a 35% elongation of the AVJ. There was downregulation of HCN1 and Cx43 mRNA transcripts across all regions and downregulation of Cav1.3 in the transitional tissue. Cx40 mRNA was significantly downregulated in the atrial septum and AVJ tissues but not in the ventricular septum. mRNA abundance for ANP, CLCN2 and Navβ1 was increased with heart failure; Nav1.1 was increased in the inferior nodal extension/compact node area. Heart failure in the rabbit leads to prolongation of the PR interval and this is accompanied by downregulation of HCN1, Cav1.3, Cx40 and Cx43 mRNAs and anatomical enlargement of the entire heart and AVJ. PMID:26509807

Congestive Heart Failure Leads to Prolongation of the PR Interval and Atrioventricular Junction Enlargement and Ion Channel Remodelling in the Rabbit.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodora Nikolaidou

Full Text Available Heart failure is a major killer worldwide. Atrioventricular conduction block is common in heart failure; it is associated with worse outcomes and can lead to syncope and bradycardic death. We examine the effect of heart failure on anatomical and ion channel remodelling in the rabbit atrioventricular junction (AVJ. Heart failure was induced in New Zealand rabbits by disruption of the aortic valve and banding of the abdominal aorta resulting in volume and pressure overload. Laser micro-dissection and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR were employed to investigate the effects of heart failure on ion channel remodelling in four regions of the rabbit AVJ and in septal tissues. Investigation of the AVJ anatomy was performed using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT. Heart failure animals developed first degree heart block. Heart failure caused ventricular myocardial volume increase with a 35% elongation of the AVJ. There was downregulation of HCN1 and Cx43 mRNA transcripts across all regions and downregulation of Cav1.3 in the transitional tissue. Cx40 mRNA was significantly downregulated in the atrial septum and AVJ tissues but not in the ventricular septum. mRNA abundance for ANP, CLCN2 and Navβ1 was increased with heart failure; Nav1.1 was increased in the inferior nodal extension/compact node area. Heart failure in the rabbit leads to prolongation of the PR interval and this is accompanied by downregulation of HCN1, Cav1.3, Cx40 and Cx43 mRNAs and anatomical enlargement of the entire heart and AVJ.

Nodal-dependent mesendoderm specification requires the combinatorial activities of FoxH1 and Eomesodermin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher E Slagle

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Vertebrate mesendoderm specification requires the Nodal signaling pathway and its transcriptional effector FoxH1. However, loss of FoxH1 in several species does not reliably cause the full range of loss-of-Nodal phenotypes, indicating that Nodal signals through additional transcription factors during early development. We investigated the FoxH1-dependent and -independent roles of Nodal signaling during mesendoderm patterning using a novel recessive zebrafish FoxH1 mutation called midway, which produces a C-terminally truncated FoxH1 protein lacking the Smad-interaction domain but retaining DNA-binding capability. Using a combination of gel shift assays, Nodal overexpression experiments, and genetic epistasis analyses, we demonstrate that midway more accurately represents a complete loss of FoxH1-dependent Nodal signaling than the existing zebrafish FoxH1 mutant schmalspur. Maternal-zygotic midway mutants lack notochords, in agreement with FoxH1 loss in other organisms, but retain near wild-type expression of markers of endoderm and various nonaxial mesoderm fates, including paraxial and intermediate mesoderm and blood precursors. We found that the activity of the T-box transcription factor Eomesodermin accounts for specification of these tissues in midway embryos. Inhibition of Eomesodermin in midway mutants severely reduces the specification of these tissues and effectively phenocopies the defects seen upon complete loss of Nodal signaling. Our results indicate that the specific combinations of transcription factors available for signal transduction play critical and separable roles in determining Nodal pathway output during mesendoderm patterning. Our findings also offer novel insights into the co-evolution of the Nodal signaling pathway, the notochord specification program, and the chordate branch of the deuterostome family of animals.

Ultrasound-guided core biopsy: an effective method of detecting axillary nodal metastases.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Solon, Jacqueline G

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: Axillary nodal status is an important prognostic predictor in patients with breast cancer. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound-guided core biopsy (Ax US-CB) at detecting axillary nodal metastases in patients with primary breast cancer, thereby determining how often sentinel lymph node biopsy could be avoided in node positive patients. STUDY DESIGN: Records of patients presenting to a breast unit between January 2007 and June 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients who underwent axillary ultrasonography with or without preoperative core biopsy were identified. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for ultrasonography and percutaneous biopsy were evaluated. RESULTS: Records of 718 patients were reviewed, with 445 fulfilling inclusion criteria. Forty-seven percent (n = 210\\/445) had nodal metastases, with 110 detected by Ax US-CB (sensitivity 52.4%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 70.1%). Axillary ultrasonography without biopsy had sensitivity and specificity of 54.3% and 97%, respectively. Lymphovascular invasion was an independent predictor of nodal metastases (sensitivity 60.8%, specificity 80%). Ultrasound-guided core biopsy detected more than half of all nodal metastases, sparing more than one-quarter of all breast cancer patients an unnecessary sentinel lymph node biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Axillary ultrasonography, when combined with core biopsy, is a valuable component of the management of patients with primary breast cancer. Its ability to definitively identify nodal metastases before surgical intervention can greatly facilitate a patient\\'s preoperative integrated treatment plan. In this regard, we believe our study adds considerably to the increasing data, which indicate the benefit of Ax US-CB in the preoperative detection of nodal metastases.

SU-F-P-52: A Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials Comparing Elective Nodal Irradiation with Involved-Field Irradiation for Conformal Or Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bai, W; Zhang, R; Zhou, Z; Qiao, X [The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei (China)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To compare elective nodal irradiation with involved-field irradiation for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy or intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer by a metaanalysis. Methods: Wanfang, CNKI, VIP, CBM databases, PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched to identify the controlled clinical trials of elective nodal irradiation with involved-field irradiation for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy or intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer. The obtained data were analyzed using Stata 11.0. The difference between two groups was estimated by calculating the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: A total of 12 controlled clinical trials involving 1095 esophageal cancer patients, which were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that the elective nodal irradiation group reduced the rates of out-field failure comparing with involved-field irradiation group (OR=3.727, P=0.007). However, the rates of ≥grades 3 acute radiation pneumonitis and esophagitis were significantly higher in the elective nodal irradiation group than in the involved-field irradiation group (OR=0.348, P=0.001, OR=0.385, P=0.000). 1-, 2-, 3-year local control rates (OR=0.966, P=0.837, OR=0.946, P=0.781; OR=0.732P=0.098) and 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were similar in the two groups ( OR=0.966, P=0.837; OR=0.946, P=0.781; OR=0.732, P=0.098; OR=0.952, P=0.756; OR=1.149, P=0.422; OR=0.768, P=0.120). It is the same with the rates of distant metastasis (OR=0.986, P=0.937). Conclusion: Compared with involved-field irradiation, the elective nodal irradiation can reduce the rates of out-field failure for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy or intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer. However, its advantage of local control and survival rates is not obvious and it increases the incidence

Temporal quadratic expansion nodal Green's function method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Cong; Jing Xingqing; Xu Xiaolin

2000-01-01

A new approach is presented to efficiently solve the three-dimensional space-time reactor dynamics equation which overcomes the disadvantages of current methods. In the Temporal Quadratic Expansion Nodal Green's Function Method (TQE/NGFM), the Quadratic Expansion Method (QEM) is used for the temporal solution with the Nodal Green's Function Method (NGFM) employed for the spatial solution. Test calculational results using TQE/NGFM show that its time step size can be 5-20 times larger than that of the Fully Implicit Method (FIM) for similar precision. Additionally, the spatial mesh size with NGFM can be nearly 20 times larger than that using the finite difference method. So, TQE/NGFM is proved to be an efficient reactor dynamics analysis method

Barrier tunneling of the loop-nodal semimetal in the hyperhoneycomb lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Ji-Huan; Zhang, Yan-Yang; Lu, Wei-Er; Xia, Yang; Li, Shu-Shen

2018-05-01

We theoretically investigate the barrier tunneling in the 3D model of the hyperhoneycomb lattice, which is a nodal-line semimetal with a Dirac loop at zero energy. In the presence of a rectangular potential, the scattering amplitudes for different injecting states around the nodal loop are calculated, by using analytical treatments of the effective model, as well as numerical simulations of the tight binding model. In the low energy regime, states with remarkable transmissions are only concentrated in a small range around the loop plane. When the momentum of the injecting electron is coplanar with the nodal loop, nearly perfect transmissions can occur for a large range of injecting azimuthal angles if the potential is not high. For higher potential energies, the transmission shows a resonant oscillation with the potential, but still with peaks being perfect transmissions that do not decay with the potential width. These strikingly robust transports of the loop-nodal semimetal can be approximately explained by a momentum dependent Dirac Hamiltonian.

Quantum anomalies in nodal line semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Burkov, A. A.

2018-04-01

Topological semimetals are a new class of condensed matter systems with nontrivial electronic structure topology. Their unusual observable properties may often be understood in terms of quantum anomalies. In particular, Weyl and Dirac semimetals, which have point band-touching nodes, are characterized by the chiral anomaly, which leads to the Fermi arc surface states, anomalous Hall effect, negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, and planar Hall effect. In this paper, we explore analogous phenomena in nodal line semimetals. We demonstrate that such semimetals realize a three-dimensional analog of the parity anomaly, which is a known property of two-dimensional Dirac semimetals arising, for example, on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator. We relate one of the characteristic properties of nodal line semimetals, namely, the drumhead surface states, to this anomaly, and derive the field theory, which encodes the corresponding anomalous response.

Bifurcation behaviors of synchronized regions in logistic map networks with coupling delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Longkun; Wu, Xiaoqun; Lu, Jun-an; Lü, Jinhu

2015-01-01

Network synchronized regions play an extremely important role in network synchronization according to the master stability function framework. This paper focuses on network synchronous state stability via studying the effects of nodal dynamics, coupling delay, and coupling way on synchronized regions in Logistic map networks. Theoretical and numerical investigations show that (1) network synchronization is closely associated with its nodal dynamics. Particularly, the synchronized region bifurcation points through which the synchronized region switches from one type to another are in good agreement with those of the uncoupled node system, and chaotic nodal dynamics can greatly impede network synchronization. (2) The coupling delay generally impairs the synchronizability of Logistic map networks, which is also dominated by the parity of delay for some nodal parameters. (3) A simple nonlinear coupling facilitates network synchronization more than the linear one does. The results found in this paper will help to intensify our understanding for the synchronous state stability in discrete-time networks with coupling delay

A spectral nodal method for eigenvalue S{sub N} transport problems in two-dimensional rectangular geometry for energy multigroup nuclear reactor global calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Davi Jose M.; Alves Filho, Hermes; Barros, Ricardo C., E-mail: davijmsilva@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: halves@iprj.uerj.br, E-mail: rcbarros@pq.cnpq.br [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Nova Friburgo, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Modelagem Computacional

2015-07-01

A spectral nodal method is developed for multigroup x,y-geometry discrete ordinates (S{sub N}) eigenvalue problems for nuclear reactor global calculations. This method uses the conventional multigroup SN discretized spatial balance nodal equations with two non-standard auxiliary equations: the spectral diamond (SD) auxiliary equations for the discretization nodes inside the fuel regions, and the spectral Green's function (SGF) auxiliary equations for the non-multiplying regions, such as the baffle and the reactor. This spectral nodal method is derived from the analytical general solution of the SN transverse integrated nodal equations with constant approximations for the transverse leakage terms within each discretization node. The SD and SGF auxiliary equations have parameters, which are determined to preserve the homogeneous and the particular components of these local general solutions. Therefore, we refer to the offered method as the hybrid SD-SGF-Constant Nodal (SD-SGF-CN) method. The S{sub N} discretized spatial balance equations, together with the SD and the SGF auxiliary equations form the SD-SGF-CN equations. We solve the SD-SGF-CN equations by using the one-node block inversion inner iterations (NBI), wherein the most recent estimates for the incoming group node-edge average or prescribed boundary conditions are used to evaluate the outgoing group node-edge average fluxes in the directions of the S{sub N} transport sweeps, for each estimate of the dominant eigenvalue in the conventional Power outer iterations. We show in numerical calculations that the SD-SGF-CN method is very accurate for coarse-mesh multigroup S{sub N} eigenvalue problems, even though the transverse leakage terms are approximated rather simply. (author)

Application of the SPH method in nodal diffusion analyses of SFR cores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikitin, Evgeny; Fridman, Emil [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Div. Reactor Safety; Mikityuk, K. [Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen (Switzerland)

2016-07-01

The current study investigated the potential of the SPH method, applied to correct the few-group XS produced by Serpent, to further improve the accuracy of the nodal diffusion solutions. The procedure for the generation of SPH-corrected few-group XS is presented in the paper. The performance of the SPH method was tested on a large oxide SFR core from the OECD/NEA SFR benchmark. The reference SFR core was modeled with the DYN3D and PARCS nodal diffusion codes using the SPH-corrected few-group XS generated by Serpent. The nodal diffusion results obtained with and without SPH correction were compared to the reference full-core Serpent MC solution. It was demonstrated that the application of the SPH method improves the accuracy of the nodal diffusion solutions, particularly for the rodded core state.

VALIDATION OF FULL CORE GEOMETRY MODEL OF THE NODAL3 CODE IN THE PWR TRANSIENT BENCHMARK PROBLEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tagor Malem Sembiring

2015-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT VALIDATION OF FULL CORE GEOMETRY MODEL OF THE NODAL3 CODE IN THE PWR TRANSIENT BENCHMARK PROBLEMS. The coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic (T/H code, NODAL3 code, has been validated in some PWR static benchmark and the NEACRP PWR transient benchmark cases. However, the NODAL3 code have not yet validated in the transient benchmark cases of a control rod assembly (CR ejection at peripheral core using a full core geometry model, the C1 and C2 cases.  By this research work, the accuracy of the NODAL3 code for one CR ejection or the unsymmetrical group of CRs ejection case can be validated. The calculations by the NODAL3 code have been carried out by the adiabatic method (AM and the improved quasistatic method (IQS. All calculated transient parameters by the NODAL3 code were compared with the reference results by the PANTHER code. The maximum relative difference of 16% occurs in the calculated time of power maximum parameter by using the IQS method, while the relative difference of the AM method is 4% for C2 case.  All calculation results by the NODAL3 code shows there is no systematic difference, it means the neutronic and T/H modules are adopted in the code are considered correct. Therefore, all calculation results by using the NODAL3 code are very good agreement with the reference results. Keywords: nodal method, coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic code, PWR, transient case, control rod ejection.   ABSTRAK VALIDASI MODEL GEOMETRI TERAS PENUH PAKET PROGRAM NODAL3 DALAM PROBLEM BENCHMARK GAYUT WAKTU PWR. Paket program kopel neutronik dan termohidraulika (T/H, NODAL3, telah divalidasi dengan beberapa kasus benchmark statis PWR dan kasus benchmark gayut waktu PWR NEACRP.  Akan tetapi, paket program NODAL3 belum divalidasi dalam kasus benchmark gayut waktu akibat penarikan sebuah perangkat batang kendali (CR di tepi teras menggunakan model geometri teras penuh, yaitu kasus C1 dan C2. Dengan penelitian ini, akurasi paket program

Nodal parameters of FDG PET/CT performed during radiotherapy for locally advanced mucosal primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma can predict treatment outcomes: SUVmean and response rate are useful imaging biomarkers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Peter [Liverpool Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Liverpool BC, NSW (Australia); University of New South Wales, South Western Sydney Clinical School, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Min, Myo; Forstner, Dion [University of New South Wales, South Western Sydney Clinical School, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Liverpool Hospital, Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool, NSW (Australia); Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW (Australia); Lee, Mark [University of New South Wales, South Western Sydney Clinical School, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Liverpool Hospital, Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool, NSW (Australia); Holloway, Lois [University of New South Wales, South Western Sydney Clinical School, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Liverpool Hospital, Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool, NSW (Australia); Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW (Australia); Bray, Victoria; Fowler, Allan [Liverpool Hospital, Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool, NSW (Australia)

2017-05-15

To evaluate the prognostic utility of nodal metabolic parameters derived from FDG PET/CT performed before radiotherapy (prePET) and during the third week of radiotherapy (iPET) in patients with mucosal primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (MPHNSCC). This analysis included 75 patients with newly diagnosed locally advanced node-positive MPHNSCC treated with radical radiotherapy and concurrent systemic therapy who underwent prePET and iPET: N1 11 patients, N2a 38, N2b 12, N2c 9, N3 5. The median follow-up was 28 months (9 - 70 months). The maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesional glycolysis (TLG) of the index lymph node (node with the highest TLG) and the combined total lymph nodes, and their percentage reductions on iPET were determined, and the results were correlated with 3-year Kaplan-Meier locoregional, regional and distant metastatic failure-free survival (FFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Optimal cut-off values were derived from receiver operating characteristic curves. Cox regression univariate and multivariate analyses with clinical covariates were performed. Based on assessment of residual nodal metabolic burden during treatment, the iPET index node SUVmean (optimal cut-off value 2.95 g/ml) and the total node SUVmean (optimal cut-off value 3.25) were the best independent predictors of outcome in the multivariate analysis: index node SUVmean for DFS and OS p = 0.033 and 0.003, respectively, and the total node SUVmean for locoregional FFS, DFS and OS p = 0.028, 0.025 and 0.014, respectively. Based on the assessment of response rates during treatment, a reduction of more than 50 % in the total node TLG was the best biomarker for locoregional and regional FFS, DFS and OS in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.001, 0.016, 0.001 and 0.004, respectively), and reduction in the total node MTV for locoregional FFS, DFS and OS (p = 0.026, 0.003 and 0

MicroRNA expression in nodal and extranodal Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mandrup, Charlotte; Petersen, Anders; Højfeldt, Anne Dirks

MicroRNA expression in nodal and extranodal Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma   C. Mandrup1, A. Petersen1, A. D. Hoejfeldt1, H. F. Thomsen1, J. Madsen1, J. Dahlgaard1, P. Johansen2, A. Bukh1, K. Dybkaer1 and H. E Johnsen1. 1Department of Hematology, 2Pathological Institute, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus...... University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark Introduction: The aim of this project was to analyse microRNA (miRNA) expression in nodal and extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Manifestation at diagnosis may be nodal and/or extranodal. At present, there are no known determinants for none...... of the manifestations, and no way to predict the potential progression from nodal to extranodal disease. miRNA are small regulatory RNA molecules with core function to repress/cleave sequence complementary mRNA targets. Abnormalities in miRNA genetics and expression are known to affect initiation and development...

Higher order polynomial expansion nodal method for hexagonal core neutronics analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Young Cho; Chang, Hyo Kim

1998-01-01

A higher-order polynomial expansion nodal(PEN) method is newly formulated as a means to improve the accuracy of the conventional PEN method solutions to multi-group diffusion equations in hexagonal core geometry. The new method is applied to solving various hexagonal core neutronics benchmark problems. The computational accuracy of the higher order PEN method is then compared with that of the conventional PEN method, the analytic function expansion nodal (AFEN) method, and the ANC-H method. It is demonstrated that the higher order PEN method improves the accuracy of the conventional PEN method and that it compares very well with the other nodal methods like the AFEN and ANC-H methods in accuracy

A geometrically exact beam element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerstmayr, Johannes; Matikainen, Marko K.; Mikkola, Aki M.

2008-01-01

In this study, Reissner's classical nonlinear rod formulation, as implemented by Simo and Vu-Quoc by means of the large rotation vector approach, is implemented into the framework of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation. The implementation is accomplished in the planar case accounting for coupled axial, bending, and shear deformation. By employing the virtual work of elastic forces similarly to Simo and Vu-Quoc in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation, the numerical results of the formulation are identical to those of the large rotation vector formulation. It is noteworthy, however, that the material definition in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation can differ from the material definition used in Reissner's beam formulation. Based on an analytical eigenvalue analysis, it turns out that the high frequencies of cross section deformation modes in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation are only slightly higher than frequencies of common shear modes, which are present in the classical large rotation vector formulation of Simo and Vu-Quoc, as well. Thus, previous claims that the absolute nodal coordinate formulation is inefficient or would lead to ill-conditioned finite element matrices, as compared to classical approaches, could be refuted. In the introduced beam element, locking is prevented by means of reduced integration of certain parts of the elastic forces. Several classical large deformation static and dynamic examples as well as an eigenvalue analysis document the equivalence of classical nonlinear rod theories and the absolute nodal coordinate formulation for the case of appropriate material definitions. The results also agree highly with those computed in commercial finite element codes

Hybrid nodal methods in the solution of the diffusion equations in X Y geometry; Metodos nodales hibridos en la solucion de las ecuaciones de difusion en geometria XY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernandez M, N. [CFE, Carretera Cardel-Nautla Km. 43.5, 91680 Veracruz (Mexico); Alonso V, G.; Valle G, E. del [IPN-ESFM, 07738 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)]. e-mail: nhmiranda@mexico.com

2003-07-01

In 1979, Hennart and collaborators applied several schemes of classic finite element in the numerical solution of the diffusion equations in X Y geometry and stationary state. Almost two decades then, in 1996, himself and other collaborators carried out a similar work but using nodal schemes type finite element. Continuing in this last direction, in this work a group it is described a set of several Hybrid Nodal schemes denominated (NH) as well as their application to solve the diffusion equations in multigroup in stationary state and X Y geometry. The term hybrid nodal it means that such schemes interpolate not only Legendre moments of face and of cell but also the values of the scalar flow of neutrons in the four corners of each cell or element of the spatial discretization of the domain of interest. All the schemes here considered are polynomials like they were it their predecessors. Particularly, its have developed and applied eight different hybrid nodal schemes that its are very nearby related with those developed by Hennart and collaborators in the past. It is treated of schemes in those that nevertheless that decreases the number of interpolation parameters it is conserved the accurate in relation to the bi-quadratic and bi-cubic schemes. Of these eight, three were described and applied in a previous work. It is the bi-lineal classic scheme as well as the hybrid nodal schemes, bi-quadratic and bi-cubic for that here only are described the other 5 hybrid nodal schemes although they are provided numerical results for several test problems with all them. (Author)

A theoretical study on a convergence problem of nodal methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaohong, Z.; Ziyong, L. [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ., 1954 Hua Shan Road, Shanghai, 200030 (China); Chao, Y. A. [Westinghouse Electric Company, P. O. Box 355, Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0355 (United States)

2006-07-01

The effectiveness of modern nodal methods is largely due to its use of the information from the analytical flux solution inside a homogeneous node. As a result, the nodal coupling coefficients depend explicitly or implicitly on the evolving Eigen-value of a problem during its solution iteration process. This poses an inherently non-linear matrix Eigen-value iteration problem. This paper points out analytically that, whenever the half wave length of an evolving node interior analytic solution becomes smaller than the size of that node, this non-linear iteration problem can become inherently unstable and theoretically can always be non-convergent or converge to higher order harmonics. This phenomenon is confirmed, demonstrated and analyzed via the simplest 1-D problem solved by the simplest analytic nodal method, the Analytic Coarse Mesh Finite Difference (ACMFD, [1]) method. (authors)

SIRIUS - A one-dimensional multigroup analytic nodal diffusion theory code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forslund, P. [Westinghouse Atom AB, Vaesteraas (Sweden)

2000-09-01

In order to evaluate relative merits of some proposed intranodal cross sections models, a computer code called Sirius has been developed. Sirius is a one-dimensional, multigroup analytic nodal diffusion theory code with microscopic depletion capability. Sirius provides the possibility of performing a spatial homogenization and energy collapsing of cross sections. In addition a so called pin power reconstruction method is available for the purpose of reconstructing 'heterogeneous' pin qualities. consequently, Sirius has the capability of performing all the calculations (incl. depletion calculations) which are an integral part of the nodal calculation procedure. In this way, an unambiguous numerical analysis of intranodal cross section models is made possible. In this report, the theory of the nodal models implemented in sirius as well as the verification of the most important features of these models are addressed.

Recognizing nodal marginal zone lymphoma: recent advances and pitfalls. A systematic review

Science.gov (United States)

van den Brand, Michiel; van Krieken, J. Han J.M.

2013-01-01

The diagnosis of nodal marginal zone lymphoma is one of the remaining problem areas in hematopathology. Because no established positive markers exist for this lymphoma, it is frequently a diagnosis of exclusion, making distinction from other low-grade B-cell lymphomas difficult or even impossible. This systematic review summarizes and discusses the current knowledge on nodal marginal zone lymphoma, including clinical features, epidemiology and etiology, histology, and cytogenetic and molecular features. In particular, recent advances in diagnostics and pathogenesis are discussed. New immunohistochemical markers have become available that could be used as positive markers for nodal marginal zone lymphoma. These markers could be used to ensure more homogeneous study groups in future research. Also, recent gene expression studies and studies describing specific gene mutations have provided clues to the pathogenesis of nodal marginal zone lymphoma, suggesting deregulation of the nuclear factor kappa B pathway. Nevertheless, nodal marginal zone lymphoma remains an enigmatic entity, requiring further study to define its pathogenesis to allow an accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment. However, recent data indicate that it is not related to splenic or extranodal lymphoma, and that it is also not related to lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Thus, even though the diagnosis is not always easy, it is clearly a separate entity. PMID:23813646

Extra-nodal extension is a significant prognostic factor in lymph node positive breast cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sura Aziz

Full Text Available Presence of lymph node (LN metastasis is a strong prognostic factor in breast cancer, whereas the importance of extra-nodal extension and other nodal tumor features have not yet been fully recognized. Here, we examined microscopic features of lymph node metastases and their prognostic value in a population-based cohort of node positive breast cancer (n = 218, as part of the prospective Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program NBCSP (1996-2009. Sections were reviewed for the largest metastatic tumor diameter (TD-MET, nodal afferent and efferent vascular invasion (AVI and EVI, extra-nodal extension (ENE, number of ENE foci, as well as circumferential (CD-ENE and perpendicular (PD-ENE diameter of extra-nodal growth. Number of positive lymph nodes, EVI, and PD-ENE were significantly increased with larger primary tumor (PT diameter. Univariate survival analysis showed that several features of nodal metastases were associated with disease-free (DFS or breast cancer specific survival (BCSS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated an independent prognostic value of PD-ENE (with 3 mm as cut-off value in predicting DFS and BCSS, along with number of positive nodes and histologic grade of the primary tumor (for DFS: P = 0.01, P = 0.02, P = 0.01, respectively; for BCSS: P = 0.02, P = 0.008, P = 0.02, respectively. To conclude, the extent of ENE by its perpendicular diameter was independently prognostic and should be considered in line with nodal tumor burden in treatment decisions of node positive breast cancer.

Extension of the analytic nodal method to four energy groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, D.K.; Nigg, D.W.

1985-01-01

The Analytic Nodal Method is one of several recently-developed coarse mesh numerical methods for efficiently and accurately solving the multidimensional static and transient neutron diffusion equations. This summary describes a mathematically rigorous extension of the Analytic Nodal Method to the frequently more physically realistic four-group case. A few general theoretical considerations are discussed, followed by some calculated results for a typical steady-state two-dimensional PWR quarter core application. 8 refs

Twisted Vector Bundles on Pointed Nodal Curves

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Motivated by the quest for a good compactification of the moduli space of -bundles on a nodal curve we establish a striking relationship between Abramovich's and Vistoli's twisted bundles and Gieseker vector bundles.

Efficacy of elective nodal irradiation in skin squamous cell carcinoma of the face, ears, and scalp

OpenAIRE

Wray, Justin; Amdur, Robert J.; Morris, Christopher G.; Werning, John; Mendenhall, William M.

2015-01-01

Background In patients at high risk for regional node metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin of the face, ear, or scalp, radiotherapy to the regional nodes is an alternative to parotid or neck surgery. Data on the efficacy of elective nodal radiotherapy in this setting are scarce such that there is no publication specifically addressing the subject. The purpose of our study is to fill this void in the skin cancer literature. Methods This is a single-institution study of out...

Error estimation for variational nodal calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, H.; Lewis, E.E.

1998-01-01

Adaptive grid methods are widely employed in finite element solutions to both solid and fluid mechanics problems. Either the size of the element is reduced (h refinement) or the order of the trial function is increased (p refinement) locally to improve the accuracy of the solution without a commensurate increase in computational effort. Success of these methods requires effective local error estimates to determine those parts of the problem domain where the solution should be refined. Adaptive methods have recently been applied to the spatial variables of the discrete ordinates equations. As a first step in the development of adaptive methods that are compatible with the variational nodal method, the authors examine error estimates for use in conjunction with spatial variables. The variational nodal method lends itself well to p refinement because the space-angle trial functions are hierarchical. Here they examine an error estimator for use with spatial p refinement for the diffusion approximation. Eventually, angular refinement will also be considered using spherical harmonics approximations

VARIANT: VARIational anisotropic nodal transport for multidimensional Cartesian and hexadgonal geometry calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmiotti, G.; Carrico, C.B.; Lewis, E.E.

1995-10-01

The theoretical basis, implementation information and numerical results are presented for VARIANT (VARIational Anisotropic Neutron Transport), a FORTRAN module of the DIF3D code system at Argonne National Laboratory. VARIANT employs the variational nodal method to solve multigroup steady-state neutron diffusion and transport problems. The variational nodal method is a hybrid finite element method that guarantees nodal balance and permits spatial refinement through the use of hierarchical complete polynomial trial functions. Angular variables are expanded with complete or simplified P 1 , P 3 or P 5 5 spherical harmonics approximations with full anisotropic scattering capability. Nodal response matrices are obtained, and the within-group equations are solved by red-black or four-color iteration, accelerated by a partitioned matrix algorithm. Fission source and upscatter iterations strategies follow those of DIF3D. Two- and three-dimensional Cartesian and hexagonal geometries are implemented. Forward and adjoint eigenvalue, fixed source, gamma heating, and criticality (concentration) search problems may be performed

Opposing nodal and BMP signals regulate left-right asymmetry in the sea urchin larva.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Jyun Luo

Full Text Available Nodal and BMP signals are important for establishing left-right (LR asymmetry in vertebrates. In sea urchins, Nodal signaling prevents the formation of the rudiment on the right side. However, the opposing pathway to Nodal signaling during LR axis establishment is not clear. Here, we revealed that BMP signaling is activated in the left coelomic pouch, specifically in the veg2 lineage, but not in the small micromeres. By perturbing BMP activities, we demonstrated that BMP signaling is required for activating the expression of the left-sided genes and the formation of the left-sided structures. On the other hand, Nodal signals on the right side inhibit BMP signaling and control LR asymmetric separation and apoptosis of the small micromeres. Our findings show that BMP signaling is the positive signal for left-sided development in sea urchins, suggesting that the opposing roles of Nodal and BMP signals in establishing LR asymmetry are conserved in deuterostomes.

The ADO-nodal method for solving two-dimensional discrete ordinates transport problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barichello, L.B.; Picoloto, C.B.; Cunha, R.D. da

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Two-dimensional discrete ordinates neutron transport. • Analytical Discrete Ordinates (ADO) nodal method. • Heterogeneous media fixed source problems. • Local solutions. - Abstract: In this work, recent results on the solution of fixed-source two-dimensional transport problems, in Cartesian geometry, are reported. Homogeneous and heterogeneous media problems are considered in order to incorporate the idea of arbitrary number of domain division into regions (nodes) when applying the ADO method, which is a method of analytical features, to those problems. The ADO-nodal formulation is developed, for each node, following previous work devoted to heterogeneous media problem. Here, however, the numerical procedure is extended to higher number of domain divisions. Such extension leads, in some cases, to the use of an iterative method for solving the general linear system which defines the arbitrary constants of the general solution. In addition to solve alternative heterogeneous media configurations than reported in previous works, the present approach allows comparisons with results provided by other metodologies generated with refined meshes. Numerical results indicate the ADO solution may achieve a prescribed accuracy using coarser meshes than other schemes.

Intra nodal reconstruction of the numerical solution generated by the spectro nodal constant for Sn problems of eigenvalues in two-dimensional rectangular geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menezes, Welton Alves de

2009-01-01

In this dissertation the spectral nodal method SD-SGF-CN, cf. spectral diamond - spectral Green's function - constant nodal, is used to determine the angular fluxes averaged along the edges of the homogenized nodes in heterogeneous domains. Using these results, we developed an algorithm for the reconstruction of the node-edge average angular fluxes within the nodes of the spatial grid set up on the domain, since more localized numerical solutions are not generated by coarse-mesh numerical methods. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the algorithm we offer. (author)

Using nodal expansion method in calculation of reactor core with square fuel assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdollahzadeh, M. Y.; Boroushaki, M.

2009-01-01

A polynomial nodal method is developed to solve few-group neutron diffusion equations in cartesian geometry. In this article, the effective multiplication factor, group flux and power distribution based on the nodal polynomial expansion procedure is presented. In addition, by comparison of the results the superiority of nodal expansion method on finite-difference and finite-element are fully demonstrated. The comparison of the results obtained by these method with those of the well known benchmark problems have shown that they are in very good agreement.

cmpXLatt: Westinghouse automated testing tool for nodal cross section models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guimaraes, Petri Forslund; Rönnberg, Kristian

2011-01-01

The procedure for evaluating the merits of different nodal cross section representation models is normally both cumbersome and time consuming, and includes many manual steps when preparing appropriate benchmark problems. Therefore, a computer tool called cmpXLatt has been developed at Westinghouse in order to facilitate the process of performing comparisons between nodal diffusion theory results and corresponding transport theory results on a single node basis. Due to the large number of state points that can be evaluated by cmpXLatt, a systematic and comprehensive way of performing verification and validation of nodal cross section models is provided. This paper presents the main features of cmpXLatt and demonstrates the benefits of using cmpXLatt in a real life application. (author)

Patterns of failure after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer: Implications for postoperative radiation therapy volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelsey, Chris R.; Light, Kim L.C.; Marks, Lawrence B.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To analyze local-regional patterns of failure after surgical resection of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials: This retrospective analysis included 61 patients who underwent resection of NSCLC at Duke University Medical Center. Inclusion into the study required the following: margin-negative resection, no neoadjuvant/adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), first recurrence involving a local-regional site, and imaging studies available for review. Sites of intrathoracic disease recurrence were documented. Diagrams were constructed that illustrated sites of failure on the basis of lobe of primary tumor. Failure rates were compared by application of a two-tailed Fisher's exact test. Results: All patients had CT imaging for review, and 54% also had PET imaging. The median number of local-regional recurrent sites was two (range, 1-6). For all patients, the most common site of failure was the bronchial stump/staple line (44%), which was present more often in those who had a wedge resection than in those who had a more radical procedure (79% vs. 34%, p = 0.005). Patients with initial nodal involvement (pN1-2) were not more likely to have involvement of the mediastinum than were patients with pN0 disease (64% vs. 72%, p = 0.72), but were more likely to have involvement of the supraclavicular fossa (27% vs. 4%, p = 0.04). Mediastinal involvement, without overt evidence of hilar involvement, occurred in 59% of patients. Left-sided tumors tended to involve the contralateral mediastinum more frequently than did right-sided tumors. Patterns of failure after resection are diagrammed and follow a fairly predictable pattern on the basis of involved lobe. Conclusions: These data may help clinicians construct postoperative RT volumes that are smaller than ones traditionally utilized, which may improve the therapeutic ratio

Pattern of loco-regional failure after definitive radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schytte, Tine; Nielsen, Tine Bjørn; Brink, Carsten

2014-01-01

, and occurrence of distant metastasis. It is challenging to evaluate loco-regional control after definitive radiotherapy for NSCLC since it is difficult to distinguish between radiation-induced damage to the lung tissue and tumour progression/recurrence. In addition it may be useful to distinguish between...... intrapulmonary failure and mediastinal failure to be able to optimize radiotherapy in order to improve loco-regional control even though it is not easy to discriminate between the two sites of failure. Material and methods. This study is a retrospective analysis of 331 NSCLC patients treated with definitive...... with mediastinal relapse. Conclusion. We conclude that focus should be on increasing doses to intrapulmonary tumour volume, when dose escalation is applied to improve local tumour control in NSCLC patients treated with definitive radiotherapy, since most recurrences are located here....

Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET in the mediastinal nodal staging of bronchogenic carcinoma.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berlangieri, S.U.; Scott, A.M.; Knight, S.; Pointon, O.; Thomas, D.L.; O``Keefe, G.; Chan, J.G.; Egen, G.F.; Tochon-Danguy, H.J.; Clarke, C.P.; McKay, W.J. [Austin Hospital, Melbourne, VIC (Australia). Centre for Positron Emission Tomography and the Departments of Nuclear Medicine and Thoracic Surgery

1998-03-01

Full text: Non-invasive methods of pre-operative staging of non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma are inaccurate. To determine the clinical role of positron emission tomography (PET) in the mediastinal staging of lung carcinoma, {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) studies were performed in 25 patients with suspected non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma and correlated with pathology. The patients comprised 20 men and 5 women (mean age 63; range 43-78 y). All patients had proven non-small cell lung carcinoma, except two, one patient with benign inflammatory disease and the other with small cell carcinoma. The FDG PET studies were acquired on a Siemens 951131R body tomography over 2-3 bed positions to include the thorax and mediastinum. The PET images were interpreted for tumour involvement of mediastinal nodes according to the American Thoracic Society classification and scored for confidence of tumour presence on a 5 point scale. The intensity of glucose metabolism was compared to mediastinal blood pool activity and graded on a 4 point scale. FDG PET correctly excluded ipsilateral mediastinal nodal (N2) disease in 16 of 16 patients. Six of nine patients with N2 disease were correctly identified by FDG PET. Of the three patients with N2 nodal involvement not detected by PET, each had single station nodal disease, and in two patients the primary lesions abutted the involved nodal group. A total of 104 nodal stations were sampled or examined at surgery. FDG PET correctly excluded disease in 83/83 (100% specificity) negative nodal stations. FDG PET is a promising non-invasive functional imaging modality for the mediastinal staging of bronchogenic carcinoma.

The implementation of a simplified spherical harmonics semi-analytic nodal method in PANTHER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, S.K.; Eaton, M.D.; Knight, M.P.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► An SP N nodal method is proposed. ► Consistent CMFD derived and tested. ► Mark vacuum boundary conditions applied. ► Benchmarked against other diffusions and transport codes. - Abstract: In this paper an SP N nodal method is proposed which can utilise existing multi-group neutron diffusion solvers to obtain the solution. The semi-analytic nodal method is used in conjunction with a coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) scheme to solve the resulting set of equations. This is compared against various nuclear benchmarks to show that the method is capable of computing an accurate solution for practical cases. A few different CMFD formulations are implemented and their performance compared. It is found that the effective diffusion coefficent (EDC) can provide additional stability and require less power iterations on a coarse mesh. A re-arrangement of the EDC is proposed that allows the iteration matrix to be computed at the beginning of a calculation. Successive nodal updates only modify the source term unlike existing CMFD methods which update the iteration matrix. A set of Mark vacuum boundary conditions are also derived which can be applied to the SP N nodal method extending its validity. This is possible due to a similarity transformation of the angular coupling matrix, which is used when applying the nodal method. It is found that the Marshak vacuum condition can also be derived, but would require the significant modification of existing neutron diffusion codes to implement it

Nodalization effects on RELAP5 results related to MTR research reactor transient scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khedr Ahmed

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The present work deals with the anal y sis of RELAP5 results obtained from the evaluation study of the total loss of flow transient with the deficiency of the heat removal system in a research reactor using two different nodalizations. It focuses on the effect of nodalization on the thermal-hydraulic evaluation of the re search reactor. The analysis of RELAP5 results has shown that nodalization has a big effect on the predicted scenario of the postulated transient. There fore, great care should be taken during the nodalization of the reactor, especially when the avail able experimental or measured data are insufficient for making a complete qualification of the nodalization. Our analysis also shows that the research reactor pool simulation has a great effect on the evaluation of natural circulation flow and on other thermal-hydraulic parameters during the loss of flow transient. For example, the on set time of core boiling changes from less than 2000 s to 15000 s, starting from the beginning of the transient. This occurs if the pool is simulated by two vertical volumes in stead of one vertical volume.

Nodal algorithm derived from a new variational principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, Fernando V.

1995-01-01

As a by-product of the research being carried on by the author on methods of recovering pin power distribution of PWR cores, a nodal algorithm based on a modified variational principle for the two group diffusion equations has been obtained. The main feature of the new algorithm is the low dimensionality achieved by the reduction of the original diffusion equations to a system of algebraic Eigen equations involving the average sources only, instead of sources and interface group currents used in conventional nodal methods. The advantage of this procedure is discussed and results generated by the new algorithm and by a finite difference code are compared. (author). 2 refs, 7 tabs

[Method for optimal sensor placement in water distribution systems with nodal demand uncertainties].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shu-Ming; Wu, Xue; Ouyang, Le-Yan

2013-08-01

The notion of identification fitness was proposed for optimizing sensor placement in water distribution systems. Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II was used to find the Pareto front between minimum overlap of possible detection times of two events and the best probability of detection, taking nodal demand uncertainties into account. This methodology was applied to an example network. The solutions show that the probability of detection and the number of possible locations are not remarkably affected by nodal demand uncertainties, but the sources identification accuracy declines with nodal demand uncertainties.

Cardiac dose reduction with deep inspiration breath hold for left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy patients with and without regional nodal irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeung, Rosanna; Conroy, Leigh; Long, Karen; Walrath, Daphne; Li, Haocheng; Smith, Wendy; Hudson, Alana; Phan, Tien

2015-01-01

Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) reduces heart and left anterior descending artery (LAD) dose during left-sided breast radiation therapy (RT); however there is limited information about which patients derive the most benefit from DIBH. The primary objective of this study was to determine which patients benefit the most from DIBH by comparing percent reduction in mean cardiac dose conferred by DIBH for patients treated with whole breast RT ± boost (WBRT) versus those receiving breast/chest wall plus regional nodal irradiation, including internal mammary chain (IMC) nodes (B/CWRT + RNI) using a modified wide tangent technique. A secondary objective was to determine if DIBH was required to meet a proposed heart dose constraint of D mean < 4 Gy in these two cohorts. Twenty consecutive patients underwent CT simulation both free breathing (FB) and DIBH. Patients were grouped into two cohorts: WBRT (n = 11) and B/CWRT + RNI (n = 9). 3D-conformal plans were developed and FB was compared to DIBH for each cohort using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for continuous variables and McNemar’s test for discrete variables. The percent relative reduction conferred by DIBH in mean heart and LAD dose, as well as lung V 20 were compared between the two cohorts using Wilcox rank-sum testing. The significance level was set at 0.05 with Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. All patients had comparable target coverage on DIBH and FB. DIBH statistically significantly reduced mean heart and LAD dose for both cohorts. Percent reduction in mean heart and LAD dose with DIBH was significantly larger in the B/CWRT + RNI cohort compared to WBRT group (relative reduction in mean heart and LAD dose: 55.9 % and 72.1 % versus 29.2 % and 43.5 %, p < 0.02). All patients in the WBRT group and five patients (56 %) in the B/CWBRT + RNI group met heart D mean <4 Gy with FB. All patients met this constraint with DIBH. All patients receiving WBRT met D mean Heart < 4 Gy on FB, while only slightly over

Application of nonlinear nodal diffusion method for a small research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaradat, Mustafa K.; Alawneh, Luay M.; Park, Chang Je; Lee, Byungchul

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We applied nonlinear unified nodal method for 10 MW IAEA MTR benchmark problem. • TRITION–NEWT system was used to obtain two-group burnup dependent cross sections. • The criticality and power distribution compared with reference (IAEA-TECDOC-233). • Comparison between different fuel materials was conducted. • Satisfactory results were provided using UNM for MTR core calculations. - Abstract: Nodal diffusion methods are usually used for LWR calculations and rarely used for research reactor calculations. A unified nodal method with an implementation of the coarse mesh finite difference acceleration was developed for use in plate type research reactor calculations. It was validated for two PWR benchmark problems and then applied for IAEA MTR benchmark problem for static calculations to check the validity and accuracy of the method. This work was conducted to investigate the unified nodal method capability to treat material testing reactor cores. A 10 MW research reactor core is considered with three calculation cases for low enriched uranium fuel depending on the core burnup status of fresh, beginning-of-life, and end-of-life cores. The validation work included criticality calculations, flux distribution, and power distribution; in addition, a comparison between different fuel materials with the same uranium content was conducted. The homogenized two-group cross sections were generated using the TRITON–NEWT system. The results were compared with a reference, which was taken from IAEA-TECDOC-233. The unified nodal method provides satisfactory results for an all-rod out case, and the three-dimensional, two-group diffusion model can be considered accurate enough for MTR core calculations

Solution and study of nodal neutron transport equation applying the LTS{sub N}-DiagExp method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauser, Eliete Biasotto; Pazos, Ruben Panta [Pontificia Univ. Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Faculdade de Matematica]. E-mail: eliete@pucrs.br; rpp@mat.pucrs.br; Vilhena, Marco Tullio de [Pontificia Univ. Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Instituto de Matematica]. E-mail: vilhena@mat.ufrgs.br; Barros, Ricardo Carvalho de [Universidade do Estado, Nova Friburgo, RJ (Brazil). Instituto Politecnico]. E-mail: ricardo@iprj.uerj.br

2003-07-01

In this paper we report advances about the three-dimensional nodal discrete-ordinates approximations of neutron transport equation for Cartesian geometry. We use the combined collocation method of the angular variables and nodal approach for the spatial variables. By nodal approach we mean the iterated transverse integration of the S{sub N} equations. This procedure leads to the set of one-dimensional averages angular fluxes in each spatial variable. The resulting system of equations is solved with the LTS{sub N} method, first applying the Laplace transform to the set of the nodal S{sub N} equations and then obtained the solution by symbolic computation. We include the LTS{sub N} method by diagonalization to solve the nodal neutron transport equation and then we outline the convergence of these nodal-LTS{sub N} approximations with the help of a norm associated to the quadrature formula used to approximate the integral term of the neutron transport equation. (author)

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma presenting with anasarca-type edema and acute renal failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgili, Serap Gunes; Yılmaz, Deniz; Soyoral, Yasemin Usul; Karadag, Ayse Serap; Bayram, Irfan

2013-09-01

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare extra nodal subtype (usually of B-cell origin) presenting with infiltration of large neoplastic lymphocytes into lumina of blood vessels, leading to vascular occlusion. The early diagnosis is very crucial, however it is usually diagnosed postmortem investigation in most of the cases. A 56-year-old female presented with elevated creatinine level, and anasarca-type edema that superimposed with hard, indurated, erythematous plaques extending to inguinal region, abdomen, anterior aspect of chest, and face. B-cell IVL was confirmed with skin biopsy. The patient had some degree of clinical improvement following chemotherapy. B-cell IVL presenting with anasarca edema was not previously reported in the literature. Even if its rarity, IVL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of renal failure with anasarca edema.

Sensitivity of the probability of failure to probability of detection curve regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garza, J.; Millwater, H.

2016-01-01

Non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques have been shown to play a vital role in fracture control plans, structural health monitoring, and ensuring availability and reliability of piping, pressure vessels, mechanical and aerospace equipment. Probabilistic fatigue simulations are often used in order to determine the efficacy of an inspection procedure with the NDI method modeled as a probability of detection (POD) curve. These simulations can be used to determine the most advantageous NDI method for a given application. As an aid to this process, a first order sensitivity method of the probability-of-failure (POF) with respect to regions of the POD curve (lower tail, middle region, right tail) is developed and presented here. The sensitivity method computes the partial derivative of the POF with respect to a change in each region of a POD or multiple POD curves. The sensitivities are computed at no cost by reusing the samples from an existing Monte Carlo (MC) analysis. A numerical example is presented considering single and multiple inspections. - Highlights: • Sensitivities of probability-of-failure to a region of probability-of-detection curve. • The sensitivities are computed with negligible cost. • Sensitivities identify the important region of a POD curve. • Sensitivities can be used as a guide to selecting the optimal POD curve.

Nodal enhances the activity of FoxO3a and its synergistic interaction with Smads to regulate cyclin G2 transcription in ovarian cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, G; Peng, C

2011-09-15

Nodal, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, has been recently shown to suppress cell proliferation and to stimulate the expression of cyclin G2 (CCNG2) in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells. However, the precise mechanisms underlying these events are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of CCNG2 by the Nodal signaling pathway. In ovarian cancer cells, overexpression of Nodal or its receptors, activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7) or ALK4, resulted in an increase in the CCNG2 promoter activity. Several putative Forkhead box class O (FoxO)3a-binding sites are present in the human CCNG2 promoter and overexpression of FoxO3a enhanced the CCNG2 promoter activity. The functional FoxO3a-binding element (FBE) was mapped to a proximal region located between -398 and -380 bp (FBE1) through deletion and mutation analyses, as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation (IP) assay. Interestingly, mutation of the FBE1 not only abolished the effect of FoxO3a, but also blocked Nodal-induced CCNG2 transcription. Nodal stimulated FoxO3a mRNA and protein expression through the canonical Smad pathway and suppressed FoxO3a inactivation by inhibiting AKT activity. Silencing of FoxO3a using small interfering RNA significantly reduced the effect of Nodal on the CCNG2 promoter activity. On the other hand, overexpression of Smad2 and Smad3 enhanced the FoxO3a-induced CCNG2 promoter activity whereas knockdown of Smad4 blocked the activity of FoxO3a. Furthermore, IP assays revealed that FoxO3a formed complexes with Smad proteins and that Nodal enhanced the binding of FoxO3a to the CCNG2 promoter. Finally, silencing of FoxO3a reversed the inhibitory effect of Nodal on cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that Nodal signaling promotes CCNG2 transcription by upregulating FoxO3a expression, inhibiting FoxO3a phosphorylation and enhancing its synergistic interaction with Smads. These results also suggest

Oddness of least energy nodal solutions on radial domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Grumiau

2010-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, we consider the Lane-Emden problem $$displaylines{ Delta u(x + |{u(x}mathclose|^{p-2}u(x=0, quad hbox{for } xinOmega,cr u(x=0, quad hbox{for } xinpartialOmega, }$$ where $2 < p < 2^{*}$ and $Omega$ is a ball or an annulus in $mathbb{R}^{N}$, $Ngeq 2$. We show that, for p close to 2, least energy nodal solutions are odd with respect to an hyperplane -- which is their nodal surface. The proof ingredients are a constrained implicit function theorem and the fact that the second eigenvalue is simple up to rotations.

Discrete rod burnup analysis capability in the Westinghouse advanced nodal code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buechel, R.J.; Fetterman, R.J.; Petrunyak, M.A.

1992-01-01

Core design analysis in the last several years has evolved toward the adoption of nodal-based methods to replace traditional fine-mesh models as the standard neutronic tool for first core and reload design applications throughout the nuclear industry. The accuracy, speed, and reduction in computation requirements associated with the nodal methods have made three-dimensional modeling the preferred approach to obtain the most realistic core model. These methods incorporate detailed rod power reconstruction as well. Certain design applications such as confirmation of fuel rod design limits and fuel reconstitution considerations, for example, require knowledge of the rodwise burnup distribution to avoid unnecessary conservatism in design analyses. The Westinghouse Advanced Nodal Code (ANC) incorporates the capability to generate the intra-assembly pin burnup distribution using an efficient algorithm

Concomitant occurrence of sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy and nodal marginal zone lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Changlee S; Grier, David D; Beaty, Michael W

2011-03-01

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), also known as Rosai-Dorfman disease, is a rare self-limiting disorder of histiocytes with unknown etiology. Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy is most common in children and young adults and is characterized by painless lymphadenopathy. Histologically there is a proliferation of sinus histiocytes with lymphophagocytosis or emperipolesis. On rare occasions, SHML has been associated with lymphoma, usually involving different anatomic sites and developing at different times. We report a case of concomitant SHML and nodal marginal zone lymphoma involving the same lymph node without involvement of other nodal or extranodal sites. The presence of concomitant SHML within the lymph node involved by nodal marginal zone lymphoma may represent the responsiveness of SHML histiocytes to B-cell-derived cytokines in lymphoproliferative disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first description of concomitant occurrence of SHML and nodal marginal zone lymphoma.

NOMAD: a nodal microscopic analysis method for nuclear fuel depletion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajic, H.L.; Ougouag, A.M.

1987-01-01

Recently developed assembly homogenization techniques made possible very efficient global burnup calculations based on modern nodal methods. There are two possible ways of modeling the global depletion process: macroscopic and microscopic depletion models. Using a microscopic global depletion approach NOMAD (NOdal Microscopic Analysis Method for Nuclear Fuel Depletion), a multigroup, two- and three-dimensional, multicycle depletion code was devised. The code uses the ILLICO nodal diffusion model. The formalism of the ILLICO methodology is extended to treat changes in the macroscopic cross sections during a depletion cycle without recomputing the coupling coefficients. This results in a computationally very efficient method. The code was tested against a well-known depletion benchmark problem. In this problem a two-dimensional pressurized water reactor is depleted through two cycles. Both cycles were run with 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 nodes per assembly. It is obvious that the one node per assembly solution gives unacceptable results while the 2 x 2 solution gives relative power errors consistently below 2%

A block-iterative nodal integral method for forced convection problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decker, W.J.; Dorning, J.J.

1992-01-01

A new efficient iterative nodal integral method for the time-dependent two- and three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations has been developed. Using the approach introduced by Azmy and Droning to develop nodal mehtods with high accuracy on coarse spatial grids for two-dimensional steady-state problems and extended to coarse two-dimensional space-time grids by Wilson et al. for thermal convection problems, we have developed a new iterative nodal integral method for the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations for mechanically forced convection. A new, extremely efficient block iterative scheme is employed to invert the Jacobian within each of the Newton-Raphson iterations used to solve the final nonlinear discrete-variable equations. By taking advantage of the special structure of the Jacobian, this scheme greatly reduces memory requirements. The accuracy of the overall method is illustrated by appliying it to the time-dependent version of the classic two-dimensional driven cavity problem of computational fluid dynamics

Multiarea Transmission Cost Allocation in Large Power Systems Using the Nodal Pricing Control Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Ghayeni

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an algorithm for transmission cost allocation (TCA in a large power system based on nodal pricing approach using the multi-area scheme. The nodal pricing approach is introduced to allocate the transmission costs by the control of nodal prices in a single area network. As the number of equations is dependent on the number of buses and generators, this method will be very time consuming for large power systems. To solve this problem, the present paper proposes a new algorithm based on multi-area approach for regulating the nodal prices, so that the simulation time is greatly reduced and therefore the TCA problem with nodal pricing approach will be applicable for large power systems. In addition, in this method the transmission costs are allocated to users more equitable. Since the higher transmission costs in an area having a higher reliability are paid only by users of that area in contrast with the single area method, in which these costs are allocated to all users regardless of their locations. The proposed method is implemented on the IEEE 118 bus test system which comprises three areas. Results show that with application of multi-area approach, the simulation time is greatly reduced and the transmission costs are also allocated to users with less variation in new nodal prices with respect to the single area approach.

Nodal price volatility reduction and reliability enhancement of restructured power systems considering demand-price elasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goel, L.; Wu, Qiuwei; Wang, Peng

2008-01-01

With the development of restructured power systems, the conventional 'same for all customers' electricity price is getting replaced by nodal prices. Electricity prices will fluctuate with time and nodes. In restructured power systems, electricity demands will interact mutually with prices. Customers may shift some of their electricity consumption from time slots of high electricity prices to those of low electricity prices if there is a commensurate price incentive. The demand side load shift will influence nodal prices in return. This interaction between demand and price can be depicted using demand-price elasticity. This paper proposes an evaluation technique incorporating the impact of the demand-price elasticity on nodal prices, system reliability and nodal reliabilities of restructured power systems. In this technique, demand and price correlations are represented using the demand-price elasticity matrix which consists of self/cross-elasticity coefficients. Nodal prices are determined using optimal power flow (OPF). The OPF and customer damage functions (CDFs) are combined in the proposed reliability evaluation technique to assess the reliability enhancement of restructured power systems considering demand-price elasticity. The IEEE reliability test system (RTS) is simulated to illustrate the developed techniques. The simulation results show that demand-price elasticity reduces the nodal price volatility and improves both the system reliability and nodal reliabilities of restructured power systems. Demand-price elasticity can therefore be utilized as a possible efficient tool to reduce price volatility and to enhance the reliability of restructured power systems. (author)

Face centered cubic SnSe as a Z2 trivial Dirac nodal line material

OpenAIRE

Tateishi, Ikuma; Matsuura, Hiroyasu

2018-01-01

The presence of Dirac nodal line in the time-reversal and inversion symmetric system is dictated by Z2 index when spin-orbit interaction is absent. With the first principles calculation, we show that the Dirac nodal line can emerge in Z2 trivial material by calculating the band structure of SnSe of face centered cubic lattice as an example and it becomes a topological crystalline insulator when spin-orbit interaction is taken into account. We clarify the origin of the Dirac nodal line by obta...

Aircraft Nodal Data Acquisition System (ANDAS), Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Development of an Aircraft Nodal Data Acquisition System (ANDAS) based upon the short haul Zigbee networking standard is proposed. It employs a very thin (135 um)...

Nodal approximations in space and time for neutron kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grossman, L.M.; Hennart, J.P.

2005-01-01

A general formalism is described of the nodal type in time and space for the neutron kinetics equations. In space, several nodal methods are given of the Raviart-Thomas type (RT0 and RT1), of the Brezzi-Douglas-Marini type (BDM0 and BDM1) and of the Brezzi-Douglas-Fortin-Marini type (BDFM 1). In time, polynomial and analytical approximations are derived. In the analytical case, they are based on the inclusion of an exponential term in the basis function. They can be continuous or discontinuous in time, leading in particular to the well-known Crank-Nicolson, Backward Euler and θ schemes

Extended Field Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy With Concomitant Boost for Lymph Node–Positive Cervical Cancer: Analysis of Regional Control and Recurrence Patterns in the Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Era

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vargo, John A.; Kim, Hayeon; Choi, Serah [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Sukumvanich, Paniti; Olawaiye, Alexander B.; Kelley, Joseph L.; Edwards, Robert P.; Comerci, John T. [Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Beriwal, Sushil, E-mail: beriwals@upmc.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States)

2014-12-01

Purpose: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is commonly used for nodal staging in locally advanced cervical cancer; however the false negative rate for para-aortic disease are 20% to 25% in PET-positive pelvic nodal disease. Unless surgically staged, pelvis-only treatment may undertreat para-aortic disease. We have treated patients with PET-positive nodes with extended field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to address the para-aortic region prophylactically with concomitant boost to involved nodes. The purpose of this study was to assess regional control rates and recurrence patterns. Methods and Materials: Sixty-one patients with cervical cancer (stage IBI-IVA) diagnosed from 2003 to 2012 with PET-avid pelvic nodes treated with extended field IMRT (45 Gy in 25 fractions with concomitant boost to involved nodes to a median of 55 Gy in 25 fractions) with concurrent cisplatin and brachytherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The nodal location was pelvis-only in 41 patients (67%) and pelvis + para-aortic in 20 patients (33%). There were a total of 179 nodes, with a median number of positive nodes of 2 (range, 1-16 nodes) per patient and a median nodal size of 1.8 cm (range, 0.7-4.5 cm). Response was assessed by PET/CT at 12 to 16 weeks. Results: Complete clinical and imaging response at the first follow-up visit was seen in 77% of patients. At a mean follow-up time of 29 months (range, 3-116 months), 8 patients experienced recurrence. The sites of persistent/recurrent disease were as follows: cervix 10 (16.3%), regional nodes 3 (4.9%), and distant 14 (23%). The rate of para-aortic failure in patients with pelvic-only nodes was 2.5%. There were no significant differences in recurrence patterns by the number/location of nodes, largest node size, or maximum node standardized uptake value. The rate of late grade 3+ adverse events was 4%. Conclusions: Extended field IMRT was well tolerated and resulted in low regional recurrence

Development of an environment-insensitive PWR radial reflector model applicable to modern nodal reactor analysis method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, E.M.

1989-05-01

This research is concerned with the development and analysis of methods for generating equivalent nodal diffusion parameters for the radial reflector of a PWR. The requirement that the equivalent reflector data be insensitive to changing core conditions is set as a principle objective. Hence, the environment dependence of the currently most reputable nodal reflector models, almost all of which are based on the nodal equivalence theory homgenization methods of Koebke and Smith, is investigated in detail. For this purpose, a special 1-D nodal equivalence theory reflector model, called the NGET model, is developed and used in 1-D and 2-D numerical experiments. The results demonstrate that these modern radial reflector models exhibit sufficient sensitivity to core conditions to warrant the development of alternative models. A new 1-D nodal reflector model, which is based on a novel combination of the nodal equivalence theory and the response matrix homogenization methods, is developed. Numerical results varify that this homogenized baffle/reflector model, which is called the NGET-RM model, is highly insensitive to changing core conditions. It is also shown that the NGET-RM model is not inferior to any of the existing 1-D nodal reflector models and that it has features which makes it an attractive alternative model for multi-dimensional reactor analysis. 61 refs., 40 figs., 36 tabs

A Hybrid Interpolation Method for Geometric Nonlinear Spatial Beam Elements with Explicit Nodal Force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huiqing Fang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on geometrically exact beam theory, a hybrid interpolation is proposed for geometric nonlinear spatial Euler-Bernoulli beam elements. First, the Hermitian interpolation of the beam centerline was used for calculating nodal curvatures for two ends. Then, internal curvatures of the beam were interpolated with a second interpolation. At this point, C1 continuity was satisfied and nodal strain measures could be consistently derived from nodal displacement and rotation parameters. The explicit expression of nodal force without integration, as a function of global parameters, was founded by using the hybrid interpolation. Furthermore, the proposed beam element can be degenerated into linear beam element under the condition of small deformation. Objectivity of strain measures and patch tests are also discussed. Finally, four numerical examples are discussed to prove the validity and effectivity of the proposed beam element.

The statistics of the points where nodal lines intersect a reference curve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronovitch, Amit; Smilansky, Uzy

2007-01-01

We study the intersection points of a fixed planar curve Γ with the nodal set of a translationally invariant and isotropic Gaussian random field Ψ(r) and the zeros of its normal derivative across the curve. The intersection points form a discrete random process which is the object of this study. The field probability distribution function is completely specified by the correlation G(|r - r'|) = (Ψ(r)Ψ(r')). Given an arbitrary G(|r - r'|), we compute the two-point correlation function of the point process on the line, and derive other statistical measures (repulsion, rigidity) which characterize the short- and long-range correlations of the intersection points. We use these statistical measures to quantitatively characterize the complex patterns displayed by various kinds of nodal networks. We apply these statistics in particular to nodal patterns of random waves and of eigenfunctions of chaotic billiards. Of special interest is the observation that for monochromatic random waves, the number variance of the intersections with long straight segments grows like Lln L, as opposed to the linear growth predicted by the percolation model, which was successfully used to predict other long-range nodal properties of that field

An analytical approach for a nodal formulation of a two-dimensional fixed-source neutron transport problem in heterogeneous medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso Barichello, Liliane; Dias da Cunha, Rudnei [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Inst. de Matematica; Becker Picoloto, Camila [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia Mecanica; Tres, Anderson [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Matematica Aplicada

2015-05-15

A nodal formulation of a fixed-source two-dimensional neutron transport problem, in Cartesian geometry, defined in a heterogeneous medium, is solved by an analytical approach. Explicit expressions, in terms of the spatial variables, are derived for averaged fluxes in each region in which the domain is subdivided. The procedure is an extension of an analytical discrete ordinates method, the ADO method, for the solution of the two-dimensional homogeneous medium case. The scheme is developed from the discrete ordinates version of the two-dimensional transport equation along with the level symmetric quadrature scheme. As usual for nodal schemes, relations between the averaged fluxes and the unknown angular fluxes at the contours are introduced as auxiliary equations. Numerical results are in agreement with results available in the literature.

The variational nodal method: history and recent accomplishments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, E.E.

2004-01-01

The variational nodal method combines spherical harmonics expansions in angle with hybrid finite element techniques is space to obtain multigroup transport response matrix algorithms applicable to both deep penetration and reactor core physics problems. This survey briefly recounts the method's history and reviews its capabilities. The variational basis for the approach is presented and two methods for obtaining discretized equations in the form of response matrices are detailed. The first is that contained the widely used VARIANT code, while the second incorporates newly developed integral transport techniques into the variational nodal framework. The two approaches are combined with a finite sub element formulation to treat heterogeneous nodes. Applications are presented for both a deep penetration problem and to an OECD benchmark consisting of LWR MOX fuel assemblies. Ongoing work is discussed. (Author)

An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salim, Mohd Faiz; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie; Mamat Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal; Roslan, Ridha; Sadri, Abd Aziz; Farid, Mohd Fairus Abd

2016-01-01

Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH 1.6 , stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D ® computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M

An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salim, Mohd Faiz, E-mail: mohdfaizs@tnb.com.my; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie, E-mail: rafies@tnb.com.my [Nuclear Energy Department, Regulatory Economics & Planning Division, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Malaysia); Mamat Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal, E-mail: m-rizal@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my [Prototypes & Plant Development Center, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Malaysia); Roslan, Ridha, E-mail: ridha@aelb.gov.my; Sadri, Abd Aziz [Nuclear Installation Divisions, Atomic Energy Licensing Board (Malaysia); Farid, Mohd Fairus Abd [Reactor Technology Center, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Malaysia)

2016-01-22

Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH{sub 1.6}, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D{sup ®} computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.

An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Salim, Mohd Faiz; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie; Mamat @ Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal; Roslan, Ridha; Sadri, Abd Aziz; Farid, Mohd Fairus Abd

2016-01-01

Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH1.6, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D® computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.

Isospectral graphs with identical nodal counts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oren, Idan; Band, Ram

2012-01-01

According to a recent conjecture, isospectral objects have different nodal count sequences (Gnutzmann et al 2005 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 38 8921–33). We study generalized Laplacians on discrete graphs, and use them to construct the first non-trivial counterexamples to this conjecture. In addition, these examples demonstrate a surprising connection between isospectral discrete and quantum graphs. (paper)

Status on development and verification of reactivity initiated accident analysis code for PWR (NODAL3)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Hong Liem; Surian Pinem; Tagor Malem Sembiring; Tran Hoai Nam

2015-01-01

A coupled neutronics thermal-hydraulics code NODAL3 has been developed based on the nodal few-group neutron diffusion theory in 3-dimensional Cartesian geometry for a typical pressurized water reactor (PWR) static and transient analyses, especially for reactivity initiated accidents (RIA). The spatial variables are treated by using a polynomial nodal method (PNM) while for the neutron dynamic solver the adiabatic and improved quasi-static methods are adopted. A simple single channel thermal-hydraulics module and its steam table is implemented into the code. Verification works on static and transient benchmarks are being conducting to assess the accuracy of the code. For the static benchmark verification, the IAEA-2D, IAEA-3D, BIBLIS and KOEBERG light water reactor (LWR) benchmark problems were selected, while for the transient benchmark verification, the OECD NEACRP 3-D LWR Core Transient Benchmark and NEA-NSC 3-D/1-D PWR Core Transient Benchmark (Uncontrolled Withdrawal of Control Rods at Zero Power). Excellent agreement of the NODAL3 results with the reference solutions and other validated nodal codes was confirmed. (author)

Validation of full core geometry model of the NODAL3 code in the PWR transient Benchmark problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

T-M Sembiring; S-Pinem; P-H Liem

2015-01-01

The coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic (T/H) code, NODAL3 code, has been validated in some PWR static benchmark and the NEACRP PWR transient benchmark cases. However, the NODAL3 code have not yet validated in the transient benchmark cases of a control rod assembly (CR) ejection at peripheral core using a full core geometry model, the C1 and C2 cases. By this research work, the accuracy of the NODAL3 code for one CR ejection or the unsymmetrical group of CRs ejection case can be validated. The calculations by the NODAL3 code have been carried out by the adiabatic method (AM) and the improved quasistatic method (IQS). All calculated transient parameters by the NODAL3 code were compared with the reference results by the PANTHER code. The maximum relative difference of 16 % occurs in the calculated time of power maximum parameter by using the IQS method, while the relative difference of the AM method is 4 % for C2 case. All calculation results by the NODAL3 code shows there is no systematic difference, it means the neutronic and T/H modules are adopted in the code are considered correct. Therefore, all calculation results by using the NODAL3 code are very good agreement with the reference results. (author)

A nodal method based on matrix-response method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocamora Junior, F.D.; Menezes, A.

1982-01-01

A nodal method based in the matrix-response method, is presented, and its application to spatial gradient problems, such as those that exist in fast reactors, near the core - blanket interface, is investigated. (E.G.) [pt

Accuracy of Computed Tomography for Predicting Pathologic Nodal Extracapsular Extension in Patients With Head-and-Neck Cancer Undergoing Initial Surgical Resection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prabhu, Roshan S., E-mail: roshansprabhu@gmail.com [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Magliocca, Kelly R. [Department of Pathology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Hanasoge, Sheela [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Aiken, Ashley H.; Hudgins, Patricia A. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Hall, William A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Chen, Susie A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas (United States); Eaton, Bree R.; Higgins, Kristin A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Saba, Nabil F. [Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Beitler, Jonathan J. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)

2014-01-01

Purpose: Nodal extracapsular extension (ECE) in patients with head-and-neck cancer increases the loco-regional failure risk and is an indication for adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). To reduce the risk of requiring trimodality therapy, patients with head-and-neck cancer who are surgical candidates are often treated with definitive CRT when preoperative computed tomographic imaging suggests radiographic ECE. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of preoperative CT imaging for predicting pathologic nodal ECE (pECE). Methods and Materials: The study population consisted of 432 consecutive patients with oral cavity or locally advanced/nonfunctional laryngeal cancer who underwent preoperative CT imaging before initial surgical resection and neck dissection. Specimens with pECE had the extent of ECE graded on a scale from 1 to 4. Results: Radiographic ECE was documented in 46 patients (10.6%), and pECE was observed in 87 (20.1%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 43.7%, 97.7%, 82.6%, and 87.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of radiographic ECE increased from 18.8% for grade 1 to 2 ECE, to 52.9% for grade 3, and 72.2% for grade 4. Radiographic ECE criteria of adjacent structure invasion was a better predictor than irregular borders/fat stranding for pECE. Conclusions: Radiographic ECE has poor sensitivity, but excellent specificity for pECE in patients who undergo initial surgical resection. PPV and NPV are reasonable for clinical decision making. The performance of preoperative CT imaging increased as pECE grade increased. Patients with resectable head-and-neck cancer with radiographic ECE based on adjacent structure invasion are at high risk for high-grade pECE requiring adjuvant CRT when treated with initial surgery; definitive CRT as an alternative should be considered where appropriate.

Development of an object oriented nodal code using the refined AFEN derived from the method of component decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, J. M.; Yoo, J. W.; Joo, H. K.

2004-01-01

In this study, we invented a method of component decomposition to derive the systematic inter-nodal coupled equations of the refined AFEN method and developed an object oriented nodal code to solve the derived coupled equations. The method of component decomposition decomposes the intra-nodal flux expansion of a nodal method into even and odd components in three dimensions to reduce the large coupled linear system equation into several small single equations. This method requires no additional technique to accelerate the iteration process to solve the inter-nodal coupled equations, since the derived equations can automatically act as the coarse mesh re-balance equations. By utilizing the object oriented programming concepts such as abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism, dynamic memory allocation, and operator overloading, we developed an object oriented nodal code that can facilitate the input/output and the dynamic control of the memories, and can make the maintenance easy. (authors)

Depletion Calculations for MTR Core Using MCNPX and Multi-Group Nodal Diffusion Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaradata, Mustafa K.; Park, Chang Je; Lee, Byungchul

2013-01-01

In order to maintain a self-sustaining steady-state chain reaction, more fuel than is necessary in order to maintain a steady state chain reaction must be loaded. The introduction of this excess fuel increases the net multiplication capability of the system. In this paper MCNPX and multi-group nodal diffusion theory will be used for depletion calculations for MTR core. The eigenvalue and power distribution in the core will be compared for different burnup. Multi-group nodal diffusion theory with combination of NEWT-TRITON system was used to perform depletion calculations for 3Χ3 MTR core. 2G and 6G approximations were used and compared with MCNPX results for 2G approximation the maximum difference from MCNPX was 40 mk and for 6G approximation was 6 mk which is comparable to the MCNPX results. The calculated power using nodal code was almost the same MCNPX results. Finally the results of the multi-group nodal theory were acceptable and comparable to the calculated using MCNPX

Nodal prices determination with wind integration for radial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

With competitive electricity market operation, open access to the transmission and distribution network is essential ... The results have been obtained for IEEE 33 ...... The value of intermittent wind DG under nodal prices and amp – mile tariffs.

Segregated nodal domains of two-dimensional multispecies Bose-Einstein condensates

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shu-Ming; Lin, Chang-Shou; Lin, Tai-Chia; Lin, Wen-Wei

2004-09-01

In this paper, we study the distribution of m segregated nodal domains of the m-mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates under positive and large repulsive scattering lengths. It is shown that components of positive bound states may repel each other and form segregated nodal domains as the repulsive scattering lengths go to infinity. Efficient numerical schemes are created to confirm our theoretical results and discover a new phenomenon called verticillate multiplying, i.e., the generation of multiple verticillate structures. In addition, our proposed Gauss-Seidel-type iteration method is very effective in that it converges linearly in 10-20 steps.

Discontinuous nodal schemes applied to the bidimensional neutron transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delfin L, A.; Valle G, E. Del; Hennart B, J.P.

1996-01-01

In this paper several strong discontinuous nodal schemes are described, starting from the one that has only two interpolation parameters per cell to the one having ten. Their application to the spatial discretization of the neutron transport equation in X-Y geometry is also described, giving, for each one of the nodal schemes, the approximation for the angular neutron flux that includes the set of interpolation parameters and the corresponding polynomial space. Numerical results were obtained for several test problems presenting here the problem with the highest degree of difficulty and their comparison with published results 1,2 . (Author)

Determination of the failure probability in the weld region of ap-600 vessel for transient condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahyono, I.P.

1997-01-01

Failure probability in the weld region of AP-600 vessel was determined for transient condition scenario. The type of transient is increase of the heat removal from primary cooling system due to sudden opening of safety valves or steam relief valves on the secondary cooling system or the steam generator. Temperature and pressure in the vessel was considered as the base of deterministic calculation of the stress intensity factor. Calculation of film coefficient of the convective heat transfers is a function of the transient time and water parameter. Pressure, material temperature, flaw depth and transient time are variables for the stress intensity factor. Failure probability consideration was done by using the above information in regard with the flaw and probability distributions of Octavia II and Marshall. Calculation of the failure probability by probability fracture mechanic simulation is applied on the weld region. Failure of the vessel is assumed as a failure of the weld material with one crack which stress intensity factor applied is higher than the critical stress intensity factor. VISA II code (Vessel Integrity Simulation Analysis II) was used for deterministic calculation and simulation. Failure probability of the material is 1.E-5 for Octavia II distribution and 4E-6 for marshall distribution for each transient event postulated. The failure occurred at the 1.7th menit of the initial transient under 12.53 ksi of the pressure

Scalable Failure Masking for Stencil Computations using Ghost Region Expansion and Cell to Rank Remapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gamell, Marc; Kolla, Hemanth; Mayo, Jackson; Heroux, Michael A.

2017-01-01

In order to achieve exascale systems, application resilience needs to be addressed. Some programming models, such as task-DAG (directed acyclic graphs) architectures, currently embed resilience features whereas traditional SPMD (single program, multiple data) and message-passing models do not. Since a large part of the community's code base follows the latter models, it is still required to take advantage of application characteristics to minimize the overheads of fault tolerance. To that end, this paper explores how recovering from hard process/node failures in a local manner is a natural approach for certain applications to obtain resilience at lower costs in faulty environments. In particular, this paper targets enabling online, semitransparent local recovery for stencil computations on current leadership-class systems as well as presents programming support and scalable runtime mechanisms. Also described and demonstrated in this paper is the effect of failure masking, which allows the effective reduction of impact on total time to solution due to multiple failures. Furthermore, we discuss, implement, and evaluate ghost region expansion and cell-to-rank remapping to increase the probability of failure masking. To conclude, this paper shows the integration of all aforementioned mechanisms with the S3D combustion simulation through an experimental demonstration (using the Titan system) of the ability to tolerate high failure rates (i.e., node failures every five seconds) with low overhead while sustaining performance at large scales. In addition, this demonstration also displays the failure masking probability increase resulting from the combination of both ghost region expansion and cell-to-rank remapping.

A study of the literature on nodal methods in reactor physics calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Wetering, T.F.H.

1993-01-01

During the last few decades several calculation methods have been developed for the three-dimensional analysis of a reactor core. A literature survey was carried out to gain insights in the starting points and method of operation of the advanced nodal methods. These methods are applied in reactor core analyses of large nuclear power reactors, because of their high computing speed. The so-called Nodal-Expansion method is described in detail

Adjuvant radiotherapy after salvage lymph node dissection because of nodal relapse of prostate cancer versus salvage lymph node dissection only

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rischke, Hans Christian; Schultze-Seemann, Wolfgang; Kroenig, Malte; Schlager, Daniel; Jilg, Cordula Annette; Wieser, Gesche; Drendel, Vanessa; Stegmaier, Petra; Henne, Karl; Volegova-Neher, Natalia; Grosu, Anca-Ligia; Krauss, Tobias; Kirste, Simon

2015-01-01

Nodal pelvic/retroperitoneal recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) after primary therapy can be treated with salvage lymph node dissection (salvage-LND) in order to delay disease progression and offer cure for a subset of patients. Whether adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) in affected regions improves the outcome by elimination of residual tumour burden remains unclear. A total of 93 patients with exclusively nodal PCa relapse underwent choline-positron-emission tomography-computed-tomography-directed pelvic/retroperitoneal salvage-LND; 46 patients had surgery only and 47 patients received ART in regions with proven lymph node metastases. In case of subsequent prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression, different imaging modalities were performed to confirm next relapse within or outside the treated region (TR). Mean follow-up was 3.2 years. Lymphatic tumour burden was balanced between the two groups. Additional ART resulted in delayed relapse within TR (5-year relapse-free rate 70.7 %) versus surgery only (5-year relapse-free rate 26.3 %, p < 0.0001). In both treatment arms, time to next relapse outside the TR was almost equal (median 27 months versus 29.6 months, p = 0.359). With respect to the detection of the first new lesion, regardless if present within or outside the TR, 5 years after the treatment 34.3 % of patients in the group with additional ART were free of relapse, versus 15.4 % in the surgery only group (p = 0.0122). ART had no influence on the extent of PSA reduction at latest follow-up compared to treatment with surgery only. ART after salvage-LND provides stable local control in TR and results in overall significant improved next-relapse-free survival, compared to patients who received surgery only in case of nodal PCa-relapse. (orig.) [de

Solution of the transport equation in stationary state, in one and two dimensions, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods; Solucion de la ecuacion de transporte en estado estacionario, en 1 y 2 dimensiones, para ensambles tipo BWR usando metodos nodales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xolocostli M, J.V

2002-07-01

The main objective of this work is to solve the neutron transport equation in one and two dimensions (slab geometry and X Y geometry, respectively), with no time dependence, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods. In slab geometry, the nodal methods here used are the polynomial continuous (CMPk) and discontinuous (DMPk) families but only the Linear Continuous (also known as Diamond Difference), the Quadratic Continuous (QC), the Cubic Continuous (CC), the Step Discontinuous (also known as Backward Euler), the Linear Discontinuous (LD) and the Quadratic Discontinuous (QD) were considered. In all these schemes the unknown function, the angular neutron flux, is approximated as a sum of basis functions in terms of Legendre polynomials, associated to the values of the neutron flux in the edges (left, right, or both) and the Legendre moments in the cell, depending on the nodal scheme used. All these schemes were implemented in a computer program developed in previous thesis works and known with the name TNX. This program was modified for the purposes of this work. The program discreetizes the domain of concern in one dimension and determines numerically the angular neutron flux for each point of the discretization when the number of energy groups and regions are known starting from an initial approximation for the angular neutron flux being consistent with the boundary condition imposed for a given problem. Although only problems with two-energy groups were studied the computer program does not have limitations regarding the number of energy groups and the number of regions. The two problems analyzed with the program TNX have practically the same characteristics (fuel and water), with the difference that one of them has a control rod. In the part corresponding to two-dimensional problems, the implemented nodal methods were those designated as hybrids that consider not only the edge and cell Legendre moments, but also the values of the neutron flux in the corner points

Interplay between short-range correlated disorder and Coulomb interaction in nodal-line semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuxuan; Nandkishore, Rahul M.

2017-09-01

In nodal-line semimetals, Coulomb interactions and short-range correlated disorder are both marginal perturbations to the clean noninteracting Hamiltonian. We analyze their interplay using a weak-coupling renormalization group approach. In the clean case, the Coulomb interaction has been found to be marginally irrelevant, leading to Fermi liquid behavior. We extend the analysis to incorporate the effects of disorder. The nodal line structure gives rise to kinematical constraints similar to that for a two-dimensional Fermi surface, which plays a crucial role in the one-loop renormalization of the disorder couplings. For a twofold degenerate nodal loop (Weyl loop), we show that disorder flows to strong coupling along a unique fixed trajectory in the space of symmetry inequivalent disorder couplings. Along this fixed trajectory, all symmetry inequivalent disorder strengths become equal. For a fourfold degenerate nodal loop (Dirac loop), disorder also flows to strong coupling, however, the strengths of symmetry inequivalent disorder couplings remain different. We show that feedback from disorder reverses the sign of the beta function for the Coulomb interaction, causing the Coulomb interaction to flow to strong coupling as well. However, the Coulomb interaction flows to strong coupling asymptotically more slowly than disorder. Extrapolating our results to strong coupling, we conjecture that at low energies nodal line semimetals should be described by a noninteracting nonlinear sigma model. We discuss the relation of our results with possible many-body localization at zero temperatures in such materials.

Long-term outcome and patterns of failure in patients with advanced head and neck cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauswald, Henrik; Simon, Christian; Hecht, Simone; Debus, Juergen; Lindel, Katja

2011-01-01

To access the long-time outcome and patterns of failure in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Between 1992 and 2005 127 patients (median age 55 years, UICC stage III n = 6, stage IV n = 121) with primarily inoperable, advanced HNSCC were treated with definite platinum-based radiochemotherapy (median dose 66.4 Gy). Analysed end-points were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), loco-regional progression-free survival (LPFS), development of distant metastases (DM), prognostic factors and causes of death. The mean follow-up time was 34 months (range, 3-156 months), the 3-, 5- and 10-year OS rates were 39%, 28% and 14%, respectively. The median OS was 23 months. Forty-seven patients achieved a complete remission and 78 patients a partial remission. The median LPFS was 17 months, the 3-, 5- and 10-year LPFS rates were 41%, 33% and 30%, respectively. The LPFS was dependent on the nodal stage (p = 0.029). The median DFS was 11 months (range, 2-156 months), the 3-, 5- and 10-year DFS rates were 30%, 24% and 22%, respectively. Prognostic factors in univariate analyses were alcohol abuse (n = 102, p = 0.015), complete remission (n = 47, p < 0.001), local recurrence (n = 71, p < 0.001), development of DM (n = 45, p < 0.001; median OS 16 months) and borderline significance in nodal stage N2 versus N3 (p = 0.06). Median OS was 26 months with lung metastases (n = 17). Nodal stage was a predictive factor for the development of DM (p = 0.025). Cause of death was most commonly tumor progression. In stage IV HNSCC long-term survival is rare and DM is a significant predictor for mortality. If patients developed DM, lung metastases had the most favourable prognosis, so intensified palliative treatment might be justified in DM limited to the lungs

Group-decoupled multi-group pin power reconstruction utilizing nodal solution 1D flux profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Lulin; Lu, Dong; Zhang, Shaohong; Wang, Dezhong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A direct fitting multi-group pin power reconstruction method is developed. • The 1D nodal solution flux profiles are used as the condition. • The least square fit problem is analytically solved. • A slowing down source improvement method is applied. • The method shows good accuracy for even challenging problems. - Abstract: A group-decoupled direct fitting method is developed for multi-group pin power reconstruction, which avoids both the complication of obtaining 2D analytic multi-group flux solution and any group-coupled iteration. A unique feature of the method is that in addition to nodal volume and surface average fluxes and corner fluxes, transversely-integrated 1D nodal solution flux profiles are also used as the condition to determine the 2D intra-nodal flux distribution. For each energy group, a two-dimensional expansion with a nine-term polynomial and eight hyperbolic functions is used to perform a constrained least square fit to the 1D intra-nodal flux solution profiles. The constraints are on the conservation of nodal volume and surface average fluxes and corner fluxes. Instead of solving the constrained least square fit problem numerically, we solve it analytically by fully utilizing the symmetry property of the expansion functions. Each of the 17 unknown expansion coefficients is expressed in terms of nodal volume and surface average fluxes, corner fluxes and transversely-integrated flux values. To determine the unknown corner fluxes, a set of linear algebraic equations involving corner fluxes is established via using the current conservation condition on all corners. Moreover, an optional slowing down source improvement method is also developed to further enhance the accuracy of the reconstructed flux distribution if needed. Two test examples are shown with very good results. One is a four-group BWR mini-core problem with all control blades inserted and the other is the seven-group OECD NEA MOX benchmark, C5G7

Hybrid nodal methods in the solution of the diffusion equations in X Y geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez M, N.; Alonso V, G.; Valle G, E. del

2003-01-01

In 1979, Hennart and collaborators applied several schemes of classic finite element in the numerical solution of the diffusion equations in X Y geometry and stationary state. Almost two decades then, in 1996, himself and other collaborators carried out a similar work but using nodal schemes type finite element. Continuing in this last direction, in this work a group it is described a set of several Hybrid Nodal schemes denominated (NH) as well as their application to solve the diffusion equations in multigroup in stationary state and X Y geometry. The term hybrid nodal it means that such schemes interpolate not only Legendre moments of face and of cell but also the values of the scalar flow of neutrons in the four corners of each cell or element of the spatial discretization of the domain of interest. All the schemes here considered are polynomials like they were it their predecessors. Particularly, its have developed and applied eight different hybrid nodal schemes that its are very nearby related with those developed by Hennart and collaborators in the past. It is treated of schemes in those that nevertheless that decreases the number of interpolation parameters it is conserved the accurate in relation to the bi-quadratic and bi-cubic schemes. Of these eight, three were described and applied in a previous work. It is the bi-lineal classic scheme as well as the hybrid nodal schemes, bi-quadratic and bi-cubic for that here only are described the other 5 hybrid nodal schemes although they are provided numerical results for several test problems with all them. (Author)

Radiological signs of extra nodal abdominal involvements in lymphoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carro, A.I.; Alegre, N.; Cervera, J.L.; Montero, A.I.

1998-01-01

To assess abdominal CT images in lymphoma patients for the study of extra nodal abdominal involvement. Ninety-two patients diagnosed as having lymphoma were studied retrospectively. All the patients underwent abdominopelvic CT with oral and intravenous contrast (except in one patient who was allergic). In every case, the diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy or radiological follow-up after treatment had been completed. Fifty-two patients (56.5%) presented infiltration of extra nodal organs. The organs most frequently involved were liver and spleen, followed by the gastrointestinal tract, the musculoskeletal system and the genitourinary tract. The findings in this study coincide with those reported elsewhere with the exception of the splenic involvement the incidence of which was lower in the present series. (Author) 17 refs

The variational nodal method: some history and recent activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, E.E.; Smith, M.A.; Palmiotti, G.

2005-01-01

The variational nodal method combines spherical harmonics expansions in angle with hybrid finite element techniques in space to obtain multigroup transport response matrix algorithms applicable to a wide variety of reactor physics problems. This survey briefly recounts the method's history and reviews its capabilities. Two methods for obtaining discretized equations in the form of response matrices are compared. The first is that contained the widely used VARIANT code, while the second incorporates more recently developed integral transport techniques into the variational nodal framework. The two approaches are combined with a finite sub-element formulation to treat heterogeneous nodes. Results are presented for application to a deep penetration problem and to an OECD benchmark consisting of LWR Mox fuel assemblies. Ongoing work is discussed. (authors)

Applications of a systematic homogenization theory for nodal diffusion methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hong-bin; Dorning, J.J.

1992-01-01

The authors recently have developed a self-consistent and systematic lattice cell and fuel bundle homogenization theory based on a multiple spatial scales asymptotic expansion of the transport equation in the ratio of the mean free path to the reactor characteristics dimension for use with nodal diffusion methods. The mathematical development leads naturally to self-consistent analytical expressions for homogenized diffusion coefficients and cross sections and flux discontinuity factors to be used in nodal diffusion calculations. The expressions for the homogenized nuclear parameters that follow from the systematic homogenization theory (SHT) are different from those for the traditional flux and volume-weighted (FVW) parameters. The calculations summarized here show that the systematic homogenization theory developed recently for nodal diffusion methods yields accurate values for k eff and assembly powers even when compared with the results of a fine mesh transport calculation. Thus, it provides a practical alternative to equivalence theory and GET (Ref. 3) and to simplified equivalence theory, which requires auxiliary fine-mesh calculations for assemblies embedded in a typical environment to determine the discontinuity factors and the equivalent diffusion coefficient for a homogenized assembly

A coarse-mesh nodal method-diffusive-mesh finite difference method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, H.; Nichols, W.R.

1994-01-01

Modern nodal methods have been successfully used for conventional light water reactor core analyses where the homogenized, node average cross sections (XSs) and the flux discontinuity factors (DFs) based on equivalence theory can reliably predict core behavior. For other types of cores and other geometries characterized by tightly-coupled, heterogeneous core configurations, the intranodal flux shapes obtained from a homogenized nodal problem may not accurately portray steep flux gradients near fuel assembly interfaces or various reactivity control elements. This may require extreme values of DFs (either very large, very small, or even negative) to achieve a desired solution accuracy. Extreme values of DFs, however, can disrupt the convergence of the iterative methods used to solve for the node average fluxes, and can lead to a difficulty in interpolating adjacent DF values. Several attempts to remedy the problem have been made, but nothing has been satisfactory. A new coarse-mesh nodal scheme called the Diffusive-Mesh Finite Difference (DMFD) technique, as contrasted with the coarse-mesh finite difference (CMFD) technique, has been developed to resolve this problem. This new technique and the development of a few-group, multidimensional kinetics computer program are described in this paper

[Definition of nodal volumes in breast cancer treatment and segmentation guidelines].

Science.gov (United States)

Kirova, Y M; Castro Pena, P; Dendale, R; Campana, F; Bollet, M A; Fournier-Bidoz, N; Fourquet, A

2009-06-01

To assist in the determination of breast and nodal volumes in the setting of radiotherapy for breast cancer and establish segmentation guidelines. Materials and methods. Contrast metarial enhanced CT examinations were obtained in the treatment position in 25 patients to clearly define the target volumes. The clinical target volume (CTV) including the breast, internal mammary nodes, supraclavicular and subclavicular regions and axxilary region were segmented along with the brachial plexus and interpectoral nodes. The following critical organs were also segmented: heart, lungs, contralateral breast, thyroid, esophagus and humeral head. A correlation between clinical and imaging findings and meeting between radiation oncologists and breast specialists resulted in a better definition of irradiation volumes for breast and nodes with establishement of segmentation guidelines and creation of an anatomical atlas. A practical approach, based on anatomical criteria, is proposed to assist in the segmentation of breast and node volumes in the setting of breast cancer treatment along with a definition of irradiation volumes.

A variational nodal diffusion method of high accuracy; Varijaciona nodalna difuziona metoda visoke tachnosti

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomasevic, Dj; Altiparmarkov, D [Institut za Nuklearne Nauke Boris Kidric, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

1988-07-01

A variational nodal diffusion method with accurate treatment of transverse leakage shape is developed and presented in this paper. Using Legendre expansion in transverse coordinates higher order quasi-one-dimensional nodal equations are formulated. Numerical solution has been carried out using analytical solutions in alternating directions assuming Legendre expansion of the RHS term. The method has been tested against 2D and 3D IAEA benchmark problem, as well as 2D CANDU benchmark problem. The results are highly accurate. The first order approximation yields to the same order of accuracy as the standard nodal methods with quadratic leakage approximation, while the second order reaches reference solution. (author)

Development and validation of a nodal code for core calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowakowski, Pedro Mariano

2004-01-01

The code RHENO solves the multigroup three-dimensional diffusion equation using a nodal method of polynomial expansion.A comparative study has been made between this code and present internationals nodal diffusion codes, resulting that the RHENO is up to date.The RHENO has been integrated to a calculation line and has been extend to make burnup calculations.Two methods for pin power reconstruction were developed: modulation and imbedded. The modulation method has been implemented in a program, while the implementation of the imbedded method will be concluded shortly.The validation carried out (that includes experimental data of a MPR) show very good results and calculation efficiency

Pressure-induced organic topological nodal-line semimetal in the three-dimensional molecular crystal Pd (dddt) 2

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhao; Wang, Haidi; Wang, Z. F.; Yang, Jinlong; Liu, Feng

2018-04-01

The nodal-line semimetal represents a class of topological materials characterized with highest band degeneracy. It is usually found in inorganic materials of high crystal symmetry or a minimum symmetry of inversion aided with accidental band degeneracy [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 176402 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.176402]. Based on first-principles band structure, Wannier charge center, and topological surface state calculations, here we predict a pressure-induced topological nodal-line semimetal in the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in the synthesized single-component 3D molecular crystal Pd (dddt) 2 . We show a Γ -centered single nodal line undulating within a narrow energy window across the Fermi level. This intriguing nodal line is generated by pressure-induced accidental band degeneracy, without protection from any crystal symmetry. When SOC is included, the fourfold degenerated nodal line is gapped and Pd (dddt) 2 becomes a strong 3D topological metal with an Z2 index of (1;000). However, the tiny SOC gap makes it still possible to detect the nodal-line properties experimentally. Our findings afford an attractive route for designing and realizing topological states in 3D molecular crystals, as they are weakly bonded through van der Waals forces with a low crystal symmetry so that their electronic structures can be easily tuned by pressure.

Role of CT/PET in predicting nodal disease in head and neck cancers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singham, S.; Iyer, G.; Clark, J.

2009-01-01

Full text:Introduction: Pre-treatment evaluation of the presence of cervical nodal metastases is important in head and neck cancers and has major prognostic implications. In this study, we aim to determine the accuracy of CT/PET as a tool for identifying such metastases. Methods: All patients from Royal Prince Alfred and Liverpool Hospitals, who underwent CT/PET for any cancer arising from the head and neck, and who underwent subsequent surgery (which included a neck dissection) within 8 weeks of the CT/PET were included. Nodal staging was undertaken by utilising imaging-based nodal classification, and comparison with pathologic data from the surgical specimen was made. PET was considered positive if the SUV was greater than 2. Results: We identified 111 patients from the above criteria. 80 of such patients were treated for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). CT/PET identified unsuspected metastatic disease in 6 patients. Correlation of CT/PET findings and the presence of disease at the primary site: sensitivity: 98%, specificity: 93%, positive predictive value (PPV): 98% and negative predictive value (NPV): 93%. Correlating CT/PET findings with the presence of nodal disease at any level: sensitivity: 95%, specificity: 88%, PPV: 95% and NPV: 88%. CT/PET was anatomically accurate in predicting the site of metastases in 62/74 (84%). Conclusion: PET is accurate in predicting both presence of nodal metastases and the level of involvement. CT/PET should be undertaken as a pre-operative tool to assist in planning the extent of surgery required in head and neck cancers.

Average arterial input function for quantitative dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of neck nodal metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla-Dave, Amita; Lee, Nancy; Stambuk, Hilda; Wang, Ya; Huang, Wei; Thaler, Howard T; Patel, Snehal G; Shah, Jatin P; Koutcher, Jason A

2009-01-01

The present study determines the feasibility of generating an average arterial input function (Avg-AIF) from a limited population of patients with neck nodal metastases to be used for pharmacokinetic modeling of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data in clinical trials of larger populations. Twenty patients (mean age 50 years [range 27–77 years]) with neck nodal metastases underwent pretreatment DCE-MRI studies with a temporal resolution of 3.75 to 7.5 sec on a 1.5T clinical MRI scanner. Eleven individual AIFs (Ind-AIFs) met the criteria of expected enhancement pattern and were used to generate Avg-AIF. Tofts model was used to calculate pharmacokinetic DCE-MRI parameters. Bland-Altman plots and paired Student t-tests were used to describe significant differences between the pharmacokinetic parameters obtained from individual and average AIFs. Ind-AIFs obtained from eleven patients were used to calculate the Avg-AIF. No overall significant difference (bias) was observed for the transfer constant (K trans ) measured with Ind-AIFs compared to Avg-AIF (p = 0.20 for region-of-interest (ROI) analysis and p = 0.18 for histogram median analysis). Similarly, no overall significant difference was observed for interstitial fluid space volume fraction (v e ) measured with Ind-AIFs compared to Avg-AIF (p = 0.48 for ROI analysis and p = 0.93 for histogram median analysis). However, the Bland-Altman plot suggests that as K trans increases, the Ind-AIF estimates tend to become proportionally higher than the Avg-AIF estimates. We found no statistically significant overall bias in K trans or v e estimates derived from Avg-AIF, generated from a limited population, as compared with Ind-AIFs. However, further study is needed to determine whether calibration is needed across the range of K trans . The Avg-AIF obtained from a limited population may be used for pharmacokinetic modeling of DCE-MRI data in larger population studies with neck nodal metastases. Further validation of

Some topics on safety analysis and accident nodalization of CAREM-25

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimenez, Marcelo O.; Zanocco, Pablo; Schlamp, Miguel A.; Ottaviani, Anahi; Garcia, Alicia

2000-01-01

The main goal of nuclear safety area in the CAREM Project Phase I, carried out during 1999, was to consolidate the safety systems design through an integral analysis of the reactor and the safety systems response to different accidental sequences. A primary circuit nodalization, including the steam generators, was done with RELAP5 code. The modeling of System 230 (absorber rods drive feed water system), System 1400 (purification and control volume system) and steam condensation on the absorber rods drive system and on RPV wall is implemented through boundary conditions. Also the Residual Heat Removal System and the Second Shutdown system are modeled. The reactor steady state at full power was calculated. The results agree quite well with design values. It can be said from the accident analysis that the nodalization responds properly. Further analysis should be done in order to qualify the nodalization and to compare benchmarks with other codes and experimental data. On the other hand, the steam dome model should be improved with more precise data about absorber rods drive system condensation, loss of heat and inner components layout. (author)

LOLA SYSTEM: A code block for nodal PWR simulation. Part. I - Simula-3 Code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aragones, J M; Ahnert, C; Gomez Santamaria, J; Rodriguez Olabarria, I

1985-07-01

Description of the theory and users manual of the SIMULA-3 code, which is part of the core calculation system by nodal theory in one group, called LOLA SYSTEM. SIMULA-3 is the main module of the system, it uses a modified nodal theory, with interface leakages equivalent to the diffusion theory. (Author) 4 refs.

LOLA SYSTEM: A code block for nodal PWR simulation. Part. I - Simula-3 Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aragones, J. M.; Ahnert, C.; Gomez Santamaria, J.; Rodriguez Olabarria, I.

1985-01-01

Description of the theory and users manual of the SIMULA-3 code, which is part of the core calculation system by nodal theory in one group, called LOLA SYSTEM. SIMULA-3 is the main module of the system, it uses a modified nodal theory, with interface leakages equivalent to the diffusion theory. (Author) 4 refs

Encapsulation of nodal cuttings and shoot tips for storage and exchange of cassava germplasm.

Science.gov (United States)

Danso, K E; Ford-Lloyd, B V

2003-04-01

We report the encapsulation of in vitro-derived nodal cuttings or shoot tips of cassava in 3% calcium alginate for storage and germplasm exchange purposes. Shoot regrowth was not significantly affected by the concentration of sucrose in the alginate matrix while root formation was. In contrast, increasing the sucrose concentration in the calcium chloride polymerisation medium significantly reduced regrowth from encapsulated nodal cuttings of accession TME 60444. Supplementing the alginate matrix with increased concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine and alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid enhanced complete plant regrowth within 2 weeks. Furthermore, plant regrowth by encapsulated nodal cuttings and shoot tips was significantly affected by the duration of the storage period as shoot recovery decreased from almost 100% to 73.3% for encapsulated nodal cuttings and 94.4% to 60% for shoot tips after 28 days of storage. The high frequency of plant regrowth from alginate-coated micropropagules coupled with high viability percentage after 28 days of storage is highly encouraging for the exchange of cassava genetic resources. Such encapsulated micropropagules could be used as an alternative to synthetic seeds derived from somatic embryos.

Mapping of selected markets with Nodal pricing or similar systems. Australia, New Zealand and North American power markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathiesen, Vivi (ed.)

2011-07-01

This report shows that the principals of nodal pricing can be implemented in different ways. A common denominator for markets with nodal pricing is a central market based nodal dispatch, where prices and flows are determined simultaneously close to real time. This stands apart from the European market design, which is based on a highly simplified version of the grid, and a physical point auction day ahead. Congestion management is handled by the TSO during the operational hour and not through the market as is the case in nodal pricing systems. Nodal pricing yields optimal dispatch and congestion management through the market, and as such an optimal utilisation of energy generation and network. However, whether this short term optimisation delivers the highest overall efficiency for the market in terms of competition in the wholesale and retail market, price discovery, possibilities for hedging, long term price signals etc. is difficult to determine. The markets investigated handle issues such as market power, risk management, investment signals and retail markets in very different ways. New Zealand and PJM are examples of markets with full nodal pricing, i.e. both generators and the demand side are exposed to nodal prices. The PJM market has more 'additional features' than the New Zealand market. Examples of these are separate capacity market to trigger investments in generation and generator price caps to deal with situations of market power. In addition PJM offers liquid and mature markets for risk management, such as aggregates of nodes where market participant can chose to be settled (rather than to be settled directly at the node). A general finding though, seems to be that risk management at peripheral nodes is challenging in nodal markets, particularly for independent retailers. In New Zealand generators and retailers were permitted to 'reintegrate' in order to cope with the nodal prices. The Australian market has central market based

Hybrid microscopic depletion model in nodal code DYN3D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilodid, Y.; Kotlyar, D.; Shwageraus, E.; Fridman, E.; Kliem, S.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new hybrid method of accounting for spectral history effects is proposed. • Local concentrations of over 1000 nuclides are calculated using micro depletion. • The new method is implemented in nodal code DYN3D and verified. - Abstract: The paper presents a general hybrid method that combines the micro-depletion technique with correction of micro- and macro-diffusion parameters to account for the spectral history effects. The fuel in a core is subjected to time- and space-dependent operational conditions (e.g. coolant density), which cannot be predicted in advance. However, lattice codes assume some average conditions to generate cross sections (XS) for nodal diffusion codes such as DYN3D. Deviation of local operational history from average conditions leads to accumulation of errors in XS, which is referred as spectral history effects. Various methods to account for the spectral history effects, such as spectral index, burnup-averaged operational parameters and micro-depletion, were implemented in some nodal codes. Recently, an alternative method, which characterizes fuel depletion state by burnup and 239 Pu concentration (denoted as Pu-correction) was proposed, implemented in nodal code DYN3D and verified for a wide range of history effects. The method is computationally efficient, however, it has applicability limitations. The current study seeks to improve the accuracy and applicability range of Pu-correction method. The proposed hybrid method combines the micro-depletion method with a XS characterization technique similar to the Pu-correction method. The method was implemented in DYN3D and verified on multiple test cases. The results obtained with DYN3D were compared to those obtained with Monte Carlo code Serpent, which was also used to generate the XS. The observed differences are within the statistical uncertainties.

Numerical divergence effects of equivalence theory in the nodal expansion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zika, M.R.; Downar, T.J.

1993-01-01

Accurate solutions of the advanced nodal equations require the use of discontinuity factors (DFs) to account for the homogenization errors that are inherent in all coarse-mesh nodal methods. During the last several years, nodal equivalence theory (NET) has successfully been implemented for the Cartesian geometry and has received widespread acceptance in the light water reactor industry. The extension of NET to other reactor types has had limited success. Recent efforts to implement NET within the framework of the nodal expansion method have successfully been applied to the fast breeder reactor. However, attempts to apply the same methods to thermal reactors such as the Modular High-Temperature Gas Reactor (MHTGR) have led to numerical divergence problems that can be attributed directly to the magnitude of the DFs. In the work performed here, it was found that the numerical problems occur in the inner and upscatter iterations of the solution algorithm. These iterations use a Gauss-Seidel iterative technique that is always convergent for problems with unity DFs. However, for an MHTGR model that requires large DFs, both the inner and upscatter iterations were divergent. Initial investigations into methods for bounding the DFs have proven unsatisfactory as a means of remedying the convergence problems. Although the DFs could be bounded to yield a convergent solution, several cases were encountered where the resulting flux solution was less accurate than the solution without DFs. For the specific case of problems without upscattering, an alternate numerical method for the inner iteration, an LU decomposition, was identified and shown to be feasible

Acceleration of the nodal program FERM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakata, H.

1985-01-01

Acceleration of the nodal FERM was tried by three acceleration schemes. Results of the calculations showed the best acceleration with the Tchebyshev method where the savings in the computing time were of the order of 50%. Acceleration with the Assymptotic Source Extrapoltation Method and with the Coarse-Mesh Rebalancing Method did not result in any improvement on the global computational time, although a reduction in the number of outer iterations was observed. (Author) [pt

The relation of CT-determined tumor parameters and local and regional outcome of tonsillar cancer after definitive radiation treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermans, Robert; Op de beeck, Katya; Bogaert, Walter van den; Rijnders, Alexis; Staelens, Lorenzo; Feron, Michel; Bellon, Erwin

2001-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the value of CT-derived tumor parameters as predictor of local and regional outcome of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma treated by definitive radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: The pretreatment CT studies of 112 patients with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed. After redigitizing the films, primary and nodal tumor volume was calculated with the summation-of-areas technique. The nodal CT aspect was graded using a 3-point scale (homogenous, inhomogeneous, and necrotic). Mean follow-up time was 33 months. Actuarial statistical analysis of local and regional outcome was done for each of the covariates; multivariate analysis was performed using Cox's proportional hazards model. Results: In the actuarial analysis, CT-determined primary tumor volume was significantly correlated with local recurrence rate (p<0.05) when all patients were considered, but primary tumor volume did not predict local control within the T2, T3, and T4 category. CT-determined nodal volume was significantly related to regional outcome (p<0.01), but nodal density was not. Total tumor volume was not significantly related to locoregional outcome (p=0.1). In the multivariate analysis, the T and N categories were the independent predictors of local and regional outcomes, respectively. Conclusion: Compared to other head-and-neck sites, primary and nodal tumor volume have only marginal predictive value regarding local and regional outcome after radiation therapy in tonsillar cancer

A proposal for combined MRI and PET/CT interpretation criteria for preoperative nodal staging in non-small-cell lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yoo Na; Yi, Chin A.; Lee, Kyung Soo; Lee, Ho Yun; Kim, Tae Sung; Chung, Myung Jin; Kwon, O.Jung; Chung, Man Pyo; Kim, Byung-Tae; Choi, Joon Young; Kim, Seon Woo; Han, Joungho; Shim, Young Mog

2012-01-01

To determine the positive reading criteria for malignant nodes when interpreting combined MRI and PET/CT images for preoperative nodal staging in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Forty-nine patients with biopsy-proven NSCLC underwent both PET/CT and thoracic MRI [diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)]. Each nodal station was evaluated for the presence of metastasis by applying either inclusive (positive if either one read positive) or exclusive (positive if both read positive) criteria in the combined interpretation of PET/CT and MRI. Nodal stage was confirmed pathologically. The combined diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT and MRI was determined on per-nodal station and per-patient bases and compared with that of PET/CT alone. In 49 patients, 39 (19%) of 206 nodal stations harboured malignant cells. Out of 206 nodal stations, 186 (90%) had concordant readings, while the rest (10%) had discordant readings. Inclusive criteria of combined PET/CT and MRI helped increase sensitivity for detecting nodal metastasis (69%) compared with PET/CT alone (46%; P = 0.003), while specificity was not significantly decreased. Inclusive criteria in combined MRI and PET/CT readings help improve significantly the sensitivity for detecting nodal metastasis compared with PET/CT alone and may decrease unnecessary open thoracotomy. (orig.)

New procedure for criticality search using coarse mesh nodal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, Wanderson F.; Silva, Fernando C. da; Martinez, Aquilino S.

2011-01-01

The coarse mesh nodal methods have as their primary goal to calculate the neutron flux inside the reactor core. Many computer systems use a specific form of calculation, which is called nodal method. In classical computing systems that use the criticality search is made after the complete convergence of the iterative process of calculating the neutron flux. In this paper, we proposed a new method for the calculation of criticality, condition which will be over very iterative process of calculating the neutron flux. Thus, the processing time for calculating the neutron flux was reduced by half compared with the procedure developed by the Nuclear Engineering Program of COPPE/UFRJ (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ). (author)

New procedure for criticality search using coarse mesh nodal methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Wanderson F.; Silva, Fernando C. da; Martinez, Aquilino S., E-mail: wneto@con.ufrj.b, E-mail: fernando@con.ufrj.b, E-mail: Aquilino@lmp.ufrj.b [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear

2011-07-01

The coarse mesh nodal methods have as their primary goal to calculate the neutron flux inside the reactor core. Many computer systems use a specific form of calculation, which is called nodal method. In classical computing systems that use the criticality search is made after the complete convergence of the iterative process of calculating the neutron flux. In this paper, we proposed a new method for the calculation of criticality, condition which will be over very iterative process of calculating the neutron flux. Thus, the processing time for calculating the neutron flux was reduced by half compared with the procedure developed by the Nuclear Engineering Program of COPPE/UFRJ (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ). (author)

RELAP 4/MOD 6 boiling water nodalization study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonneck, G.; Pfau, H.

1985-09-01

The risk of nuclear steam supply systems is dominated by the core melt accidents. The first step to a realistic assessment of these sequences is the successful prediction of a loss of coolant event in a test loop. One of the codes for that is RELAP 4/MOD 6 and one of the important options in this code is the nodalization. The base of this work is the test LOCA No. 1 FIX II in Studsvik (Sweden) which also served as the OECD International Standard Problem 15. This report discusses the influence of different nodalizations, of different distributions of pressure, water and structural heat as well as of different bubble rise options, break flow coefficients, and heat transfer time steps. The most important result is that a simple RELAP 4/MOD6 model with less than 10 volumes is able to predict an experiment as LOCA No. 1 in FIX II successfully using only a fraction of the usual computing time. (Author)

Accidente cerebrovascular isquémico asociado con ablación por radiofrecuencia de reentrada nodal Ischemic stroke associated with radio frequency ablation for nodal reentry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan C Díaz Martínez

2010-04-01

Full Text Available La taquicardia por reentrada nodal es la causa más común de taquicardia supraventricular paroxística; en aquellos pacientes en quienes el manejo farmacológico no es efectivo o deseado la ablación por radiofrecuencia es un excelente método terapéutico dada su alta tasa de curación. Aunque en términos generales dichos procedimientos son rápidos y seguros, se han descrito varias complicaciones entre las que sobresale el accidente cerebrovascular isquémico. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 41 años con episodios de taquicardia por reentrada nodal a repetición, que fue llevada a ablación por radiofrecuencia. En el post-operatorio inmediato se evidenció déficit neurológico focal con isquemia en el territorio de la arteria cerebral media derecha, tras lo cual se realizó angiografía con intento de angioplastia y abxicimab y posteriormente infusión local de activador de plasminógeno tisular (rtPA con adecuado resultado clínico y angiográfico.Atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia is the most common type of paroxismal supraventricular tachycardia. In those patients in whom drug therapy is not effective or not desired, radio frequency ablation is an excellent therapeutic method. Although overall these procedures are fast and safe, several complications among which ischemic stroke stands out, have been reported. We present the case of a 41 year old female patient with repetitive episodes of tachycardia due to nodal reentry who was treated with radiofrequency ablation. Immediately after the procedure she presented focal neurologic deficit consistent with ischemic stroke in the right medial cerebral artery territory. Angiography with angioplastia and abxicimab was performed and then tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA was locally infused, with appropriate clinical and angiographic outcome.

CAISO flicks switch on nodal scheme and lights stay on

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-06-15

In 2000-01, two years after introducing a competitive wholesale power auction in California - with a separate day-ahead zonal market operated by the California Power Exchange and a zonal market for ancillary services and balancing energy operated by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) - the California market collapsed from exorbitant prices, flagrant gaming, and abuse of market power. Nine years later, CAISO introduced a nodal pricing auction for the wholesale market in April, replacing the zonal scheme, which was among many causes of the original market's demise. With nearly 3,000 nodes on the network, high prices in one region do not affect prices everywhere on the system. After investing some $200 million to upgrade the software, countless delays, and 18 months of market simulation and testing, the new auction was introduced and nothing unusual happened.

A simplified presentation of the multigroup analytic nodal method in 2-D Cartesian geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hebert, Alain

2008-01-01

The nodal diffusion algorithms used in many production reactor simulation codes are originating from a common ancestry developed in the 1970s, the analytic nodal method (ANM) of the QUANDRY code. However, this original presentation of the ANM is complex and makes difficult the calculation of the nodal coupling matrices. Moreover, QUANDRY is limited to two-energy groups and its generalization to more groups appears laborious. We are presenting a simplified implementation of the ANM requiring only limited programming work. This formulation is consistent with the initial QUANDRY implementation and is easily generalizable to arbitrary G-group problems. A Matlab script is provided to highlight the simplicity of our presentation. For the sake of clarity, our implementation is limited to G-group, 2-D Cartesian geometry

Acceleration of the FERM nodal program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakata, H.

1985-01-01

It was tested three acceleration methods trying to reduce the number of outer iterations in the FERM nodal program. The results obtained indicated that the Chebychev polynomial acceleration method with variable degree results in a economy of 50% in the computer time. Otherwise, the acceleration method by source asymptotic extrapolation or by zonal rebalance did not result in economy of the global computer time, however some acceleration had been verified in outer iterations. (M.C.K.) [pt

Nodal method for fast reactor analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shober, R.A.

1979-01-01

In this paper, a nodal method applicable to fast reactor diffusion theory analysis has been developed. This method has been shown to be accurate and efficient in comparison to highly optimized finite difference techniques. The use of an analytic solution to the diffusion equation as a means of determining accurate coupling relationships between nodes has been shown to be highly accurate and efficient in specific two-group applications, as well as in the current multigroup method

DIF3D nodal neutronics option for two- and three-dimensional diffusion theory calculations in hexagonal geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, R.D.

1983-03-01

A nodal method is developed for the solution of the neutron-diffusion equation in two- and three-dimensional hexagonal geometries. The nodal scheme has been incorporated as an option in the finite-difference diffusion-theory code DIF3D, and is intended for use in the analysis of current LMFBR designs. The nodal equations are derived using higher-order polynomial approximations to the spatial dependence of the flux within the hexagonal-z node. The final equations, which are cast in the form of inhomogeneous response-matrix equations for each energy group, involved spatial moments of the node-interior flux distribution plus surface-averaged partial currents across the faces of the node. These equations are solved using a conventional fission-source iteration accelerated by coarse-mesh rebalance and asymptotic source extrapolation. This report describes the mathematical development and numerical solution of the nodal equations, as well as the use of the nodal option and details concerning its programming structure. This latter information is intended to supplement the information provided in the separate documentation of the DIF3D code

Topological and trivial magnetic oscillations in nodal loop semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Oroszlány, László; Dóra, Balázs; Cserti, József; Cortijo, Alberto

2018-05-01

Nodal loop semimetals are close descendants of Weyl semimetals and possess a topologically dressed band structure. We argue by combining the conventional theory of magnetic oscillation with topological arguments that nodal loop semimetals host coexisting topological and trivial magnetic oscillations. These originate from mapping the topological properties of the extremal Fermi surface cross sections onto the physics of two dimensional semi-Dirac systems, stemming from merging two massless Dirac cones. By tuning the chemical potential and the direction of magnetic field, a sharp transition is identified from purely trivial oscillations, arising from the Landau levels of a normal two dimensional (2D) electron gas, to a phase where oscillations of topological and trivial origin coexist, originating from 2D massless Dirac and semi-Dirac points, respectively. These could in principle be directly identified in current experiments.

Rapid enhancement of nodal quasiparticle mass with heavily underdoping in Bi2212

Science.gov (United States)

Anzai, Hiroaki; Arita, Masashi; Namatame, Hirofumi; Taniguchi, Masaki; Ishikado, Motoyuki; Fujita, Kazuhiro; Ishida, Shigeyuki; Uchida, Shin-ichi; Ino, Akihiro

2018-05-01

We report substantial advance of our low-energy angle-resolved photoemission study of nodal quasiparticles in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ. The new data cover the samples from underdoped down to heavily underdoped levels. We also present the nodal Fermi velocities that determined by using an excitation-photon energy of hν = 7.0 eV over a wide doping range. The consistency between the results with hν = 8.1 and 7.0 eV allows us to rule out the effect of photoemission matrix elements. In comparison with the data previously reported, the nodal effective mass increases by a factor of ∼ 1.5 in going from optimally doped to heavily underdoped levels. We find a rapid enhancement of the nodal quasiparticle mass at low doping levels near the superconductor-to-insulator transition. The effective coupling spectrum, λ (ω) , is extracted directly from the energy derivatives of the quasiparticle dispersion and scattering rate, as a causal function of the mass enhancement factor. A steplike increase in Reλ (ω) around ∼ 65 meV is demonstrated clearly by the Kramers-Kronig transform of Imλ (ω) . To extract the low-energy renormalization effect, we calculated a simple model for the electron-boson interaction. This model reveals that the contribution of the renormalization at | ω | ≤ 15 meV to the quasiparticle mass is larger than that around 65 meV in underdoped samples.

The Use of System Codes in Scaling Studies: Relevant Techniques for Qualifying NPP Nodalizations for Particular Scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Martinez-Quiroga

2014-01-01

Full Text Available System codes along with necessary nodalizations are valuable tools for thermal hydraulic safety analysis. Qualifying both codes and nodalizations is an essential step prior to their use in any significant study involving code calculations. Since most existing experimental data come from tests performed on the small scale, any qualification process must therefore address scale considerations. This paper describes the methodology developed at the Technical University of Catalonia in order to contribute to the qualification of Nuclear Power Plant nodalizations by means of scale disquisitions. The techniques that are presented include the so-called Kv-scaled calculation approach as well as the use of “hybrid nodalizations” and “scaled-up nodalizations.” These methods have revealed themselves to be very helpful in producing the required qualification and in promoting further improvements in nodalization. The paper explains both the concepts and the general guidelines of the method, while an accompanying paper will complete the presentation of the methodology as well as showing the results of the analysis of scaling discrepancies that appeared during the posttest simulations of PKL-LSTF counterpart tests performed on the PKL-III and ROSA-2 OECD/NEA Projects. Both articles together produce the complete description of the methodology that has been developed in the framework of the use of NPP nodalizations in the support to plant operation and control.

Solution of the transport equation in stationary state, in one and two dimensions, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods; Solucion de la ecuacion de transporte en estado estacionario, en 1 y 2 dimensiones, para ensambles tipo BWR usando metodos nodales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xolocostli M, J V

2002-07-01

The main objective of this work is to solve the neutron transport equation in one and two dimensions (slab geometry and X Y geometry, respectively), with no time dependence, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods. In slab geometry, the nodal methods here used are the polynomial continuous (CMPk) and discontinuous (DMPk) families but only the Linear Continuous (also known as Diamond Difference), the Quadratic Continuous (QC), the Cubic Continuous (CC), the Step Discontinuous (also known as Backward Euler), the Linear Discontinuous (LD) and the Quadratic Discontinuous (QD) were considered. In all these schemes the unknown function, the angular neutron flux, is approximated as a sum of basis functions in terms of Legendre polynomials, associated to the values of the neutron flux in the edges (left, right, or both) and the Legendre moments in the cell, depending on the nodal scheme used. All these schemes were implemented in a computer program developed in previous thesis works and known with the name TNX. This program was modified for the purposes of this work. The program discreetizes the domain of concern in one dimension and determines numerically the angular neutron flux for each point of the discretization when the number of energy groups and regions are known starting from an initial approximation for the angular neutron flux being consistent with the boundary condition imposed for a given problem. Although only problems with two-energy groups were studied the computer program does not have limitations regarding the number of energy groups and the number of regions. The two problems analyzed with the program TNX have practically the same characteristics (fuel and water), with the difference that one of them has a control rod. In the part corresponding to two-dimensional problems, the implemented nodal methods were those designated as hybrids that consider not only the edge and cell Legendre moments, but also the values of the neutron flux in the corner points

Ischemic stroke associated with radio frequency ablation for nodal reentry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz M, Juan C; Duran R, Carlos E; Perafan B, Pablo; Pava M, Luis F

2010-01-01

Atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia is the most common type of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. In those patients in whom drug therapy is not effective or not desired, radio frequency ablation is an excellent therapeutic method. Although overall these procedures are fast and safe, several complications among which ischemic stroke stands out, have been reported. We present the case of a 41 year old female patient with repetitive episodes of tachycardia due to nodal reentry who was treated with radiofrequency ablation. Immediately after the procedure she presented focal neurologic deficit consistent with ischemic stroke in the right medial cerebral artery territory. Angiography with angioplastia and abxicimab was performed and then tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) was locally infused, with appropriate clinical and angiographic outcome.

Real-time control of power systems using nodal prices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jokic, A.; Lazar, M.; Bosch, van den P.P.J.

2009-01-01

This article presents a novel control scheme for achieving optimal power balancing and congestion management in electrical power systems via nodal prices. We develop a dynamic controller that guarantees economically optimal steady-state operation while respecting all line flow constraints in

Isospectral discrete and quantum graphs with the same flip counts and nodal counts

Science.gov (United States)

Juul, Jonas S.; Joyner, Christopher H.

2018-06-01

The existence of non-isomorphic graphs which share the same Laplace spectrum (to be referred to as isospectral graphs) leads naturally to the following question: what additional information is required in order to resolve isospectral graphs? It was suggested by Band, Shapira and Smilansky that this might be achieved by either counting the number of nodal domains or the number of times the eigenfunctions change sign (the so-called flip count) (Band et al 2006 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 13999–4014 Band and Smilansky 2007 Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 145 171–9). Recent examples of (discrete) isospectral graphs with the same flip count and nodal count have been constructed by Ammann by utilising Godsil–McKay switching (Ammann private communication). Here, we provide a simple alternative mechanism that produces systematic examples of both discrete and quantum isospectral graphs with the same flip and nodal counts.

The impact of nodal tumour burden on lymphoscintigraphic imaging in patients with melanomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kretschmer, Lutz; Bertsch, Hans Peter; Hellriegel, Simin; Thoms, Kai-Martin; Schoen, Michael Peter [Georg August University of Goettingen, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Goettingen (Germany); Bardzik, Pawel; Meller, Johannes; Sahlmann, Carsten Oliver [Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Goettingen (Germany)

2014-10-15

To retrospectively study the influence of nodal tumour burden on lymphoscintigraphic imaging in 509 consecutive patients with melanomas. Bidirectional lymphatic drainage, the clear depiction of an afferent lymphatic vessel, time to depiction of the first sentinel lymph node (SLN) and number of depicted and excised nodes were recorded. Nodal tumour load was classified as SLN-negative, SLN micrometastases or macrometastases. In the overall population, using multivariate regression analysis, a short SLN depiction time was significantly associated with the depiction of a greater number of radioactive nodes, a short distance between the primary tumour site and the nodal basin, younger age and lower nodal tumour burden. The proportion of patients with clear depiction of an afferent lymphatic vessel depended on the nodal tumour load (46 % in SLN-negative patients, 57 % in SLN positive patients, and 69 % in patients with macrometastases; P = 0.009). Macrometastasis was significantly associated with delayed depiction of the first radioactive node and a greater number of depicted hotspots. In patients with clinically nonsuspicious nodes, i.e. the classical target group for SLN biopsy, clear depiction of an afferent vessel was significantly associated with a higher number of SLNs during dynamic acquisition, SLN micrometastasis and a higher overall number of metastatic lymph nodes after SLN biopsy plus completion lymphadenectomy. The excision of more than two SLNs did not increase the metastasis detection rate. In patients with bidirectional or tridirectional lymphatic drainage, the SLN positivity rates for the first, second and third basin were 25.4 %, 11.7 % and 0.0 %, respectively (P = 0.002). In patients with clinically nonsuspicious lymph nodes, clear depiction of an afferent lymph vessel may be a sign of micrometastasis. Macrometastasis is associated with prominent afferent vessels, delayed depiction of the first radioactive node and a higher number of depicted hotspots

The Impact of Preradiation Residual Disease Volume on Time to Locoregional Failure in Cutaneous Merkel Cell Carcinoma—A TROG Substudy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finnigan, Renee [Division of Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia); Hruby, George [Department of Radiation Oncology, Sydney Cancer Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Wratten, Chris [Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, Newcastle (Australia); Keller, Jacqui; Tripcony, Lee; Dickie, Graeme [Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women' s Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Rischin, Danny [Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne (Australia); Poulsen, Michael, E-mail: michael_poulsen@health.qld.gov.au [Division of Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia)

2013-05-01

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of margin status and gross residual disease in patients treated with chemoradiation therapy for high-risk stage I and II Merkel cell cancer (MCC). Methods and Materials: Data were pooled from 3 prospective trials in which patients were treated with 50 Gy in 25 fractions to the primary lesion and draining lymph nodes and 2 schedules of carboplatin based chemotherapy. Time to locoregional failure was analyzed according to the burden of disease at the time of radiation therapy, comparing patients with negative margins, involved margins, or macroscopic disease. Results: Analysis was performed on 88 patients, of whom 9 had microscopically positive resection margins and 26 had macroscopic residual disease. The majority of gross disease was confined to nodal regions. The 5-year time to locoregional failure, time to distant failure, time to progression, and disease-specific survival rates for the whole group were 73%, 69%, 62%, and 66% respectively. The hazard ratio for macroscopic disease at the primary site or the nodes was 1.25 (95% confidence interval 0.57-2.77), P=.58. Conclusions: No statistically significant differences in time to locoregional failure were identified between patients with negative margins and those with microscopic or gross residual disease. These results must, however, be interpreted with caution because of the limited sample size.

Analysis of NEA-NSC PWR Uncontrolled Control Rod Withdrawal at Zero Power Benchmark Cases with NODAL3 Code

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Tagor Malem Sembiring

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The in-house coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic (N/T-H code of BATAN (National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia, NODAL3, based on the few-group neutron diffusion equation in 3-dimensional geometry using the polynomial nodal method, has been verified with static and transient PWR benchmark cases. This paper reports the verification of NODAL3 code in the NEA-NSC PWR uncontrolled control rods withdrawal at zero power benchmark. The objective of this paper is to determine the accuracy of NODAL3 code in solving the continuously slow and fast reactivity insertions due to single and group of control rod bank withdrawn while the power and temperature increment are limited by the Doppler coefficient. The benchmark is chosen since many organizations participated using various methods and approximations, so the calculation results of NODAL3 can be compared to other codes’ results. The calculated parameters are performed for the steady-state, transient core averaged, and transient hot pellet results. The influence of radial and axial nodes number was investigated for all cases. The results of NODAL3 code are in very good agreement with the reference solutions if the radial and axial nodes number is 2 × 2 and 2 × 18 (total axial layers, respectively.

The Verification of Coupled Neutronics Thermal-Hydraulics Code NODAL3 in the PWR Rod Ejection Benchmark

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Surian Pinem

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A coupled neutronics thermal-hydraulics code NODAL3 has been developed based on the few-group neutron diffusion equation in 3-dimensional geometry for typical PWR static and transient analyses. The spatial variables are treated by using a polynomial nodal method while for the neutron dynamic solver the adiabatic and improved quasistatic methods are adopted. In this paper we report the benchmark calculation results of the code against the OECD/NEA CRP PWR rod ejection cases. The objective of this work is to determine the accuracy of NODAL3 code in analysing the reactivity initiated accident due to the control rod ejection. The NEACRP PWR rod ejection cases are chosen since many organizations participated in the NEA project using various methods as well as approximations, so that, in addition to the reference solutions, the calculation results of NODAL3 code can also be compared to other codes’ results. The transient parameters to be verified are time of power peak, power peak, final power, final average Doppler temperature, maximum fuel temperature, and final coolant temperature. The results of NODAL3 code agree well with the PHANTHER reference solutions in 1993 and 1997 (revised. Comparison with other validated codes, DYN3D/R and ANCK, shows also a satisfactory agreement.

Primary nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas: diagnosis and therapeutic considerations

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Luis Alberto de Pádua Covas Lage

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas are a rare group of neoplasms derived from post-thymic and activated T lymphocytes. A review of scientific articles listed in PubMed, Lilacs, and the Cochrane Library databases was performed using the term "peripheral T-cell lymphomas". According to the World Health Organization classification of hematopoietic tissue tumors, this group of neoplasms consists of peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma-anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive (ALCL-ALK+, and a provisional entity called anaplastic large cell lymphoma-anaplastic lymphoma kinase negative (ALCL-ALK-. Because the treatment and prognoses of these neoplasms involve different principles, it is essential to distinguish each one by its clinical, immunophenotypic, genetic, and molecular features. Except for anaplastic large cell lymphoma-anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive, which has no adverse international prognostic index, the prognosis of nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas is worse than that of aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Chemotherapy based on anthracyclines provides poor outcomes because these neoplasms frequently have multidrug-resistant phenotypes. Based on this, the current tendency is to use intensified cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone (CHOP regimens with the addition of new drugs, and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This paper describes the clinical features and diagnostic methods, and proposes a therapeutic algorithm for nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma patients.

A prospective phase II study of adjuvant postoperative radiation therapy following nodal surgery in malignant melanoma-Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) Study 96.06

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burmeister, Bryan H.; Mark Smithers, B.; Burmeister, Elizabeth; Baumann, Kathryn; Davis, Sidney; Krawitz, Hedley; Johnson, Carol; Spry, Nigel

2006-01-01

Background: The role of adjuvant postoperative therapy after resection of localised malignant melanoma involving regional lymph nodes remains controversial. There are no randomised trials that confirm that postoperative radiation conveys a benefit in terms of regional control or survival. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-four patients with melanoma involving lymph nodes were registered on a prospective study to evaluate the effect of postoperative radiation therapy. The regimen consisted of 48 Gy in 20 fractions to the nodal basin using recommended treatment guidelines for each of the major node sites. The primary endpoints were regional in-field relapse and late toxicity. Secondary endpoints were adjacent relapse, distant relapse, overall survival, progression-free survival and time to in-field progression. Results: Adjuvant radiation therapy was well tolerated by all of the patients. As the first site of relapse, regional in-field relapses occurred in 16/234 patients (6.8%). The overall survival was 36% at 5 years. The progression-free survival and regional control rates were 27% and 91%, respectively, at 5 years. Patients with more than 2 nodes involved had a significantly worse outcome in terms of distant relapse, overall and progression-free survival. Conclusion: We believe that adjuvant radiation therapy following nodal surgery could offer a possible benefit in terms of regional control. These results require confirmation in a randomised trial

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the mediastinal nodal staging of non-small cell lung carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berlangieri, S.U.; Scott, A.M.; Knight, S.; Fitt, G.J.; Hess, E.M.; Pathmaraj, K.; Hennessy, O.F.; Tochon-Danguy, H.J.; Chan, J.G.; Egan, G.F.; Sinclair, R.A.; Clarke, C.P.; McKay, W.J.; St Vincents Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC

1998-01-01

Full text: Positron emission tomography (PET) using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), as a metabolic tumour marker, has been proposed for staging of oncological disease. To determine its role in the mediastinal staging of lung cancer, a prospective comparison of FDG PET with surgery was performed in patients with suspected non-small cell lung carcinoma. The analysis group consists of 70 patients, 49 men and 21 women, mean age 64 yrs (range 41-83 yrs). The PET study was acquired on a Siemens 951/31R scanner over 3 bed positions, 45 minutes following 400MBq FDG. The emission scan was attenuation corrected using measured transmission data. The FDG PET were interpreted by a nuclear physician blinded to the clinical data and the results of the patients' CT scan. On PET, nodes were graded qualitatively on a 5 point scale with scores 4 or greater, positive for tumour involvement. Surgical specimens were obtained in all patients by thoracotomy or mediastinoscopy. The PET metabolic studies and pathology were mapped according to the American Thoracic Society nodal classification resulting in a total of 277 nodal stations evaluated. The PET studies analysed N2 or N3 tumour involvement by nodal station in comparison to histology of pathological specimens or direct visual assessment of the nodal stations at surgery. All patients had proven non-small cell lung carcinoma, except two, in whom, a tissue confirmation of the suspected diagnosis was not attained. PET excluded tumour in 237 of 246 nodal stations (specificity 96%). PET correctly identified 23 of 31 nodal stations with disease (sensitivity 74%). PET correctly staged 260 of 277 nodal stations (accuracy 94%) for disease. FDG PET is an accurate non-invasive functional imaging modality for the mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer and has an important clinical role in the preoperative staging of lung cancer patients

Nodal signals mediate interactions between the extra-embryonic and embryonic tissues in zebrafish

OpenAIRE

Xiang, Fan; Hagos, Engda G.; Xu, Bo; Sias, Christina; Kawakami, Koichi; Burdine, Rebecca D.; Dougan, Scott T.

2007-01-01

In many vertebrates, extra-embryonic tissues are important signaling centers that induce and pattern the germ layers. In teleosts, the mechanism by which the extra-embryonic yolk syncytial layer (YSL) patterns the embryo is not understood. Although the Nodal-related protein Squint is expressed in the YSL, its role in this tissue is not known. We generated a series of stable transgenic lines with GFP under the control of squint genomic sequences. In all species, nodal-related genes induce thei...

An analytical approach for a nodal scheme of two-dimensional neutron transport problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barichello, L.B.; Cabrera, L.C.; Prolo Filho, J.F.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Nodal equations for a two-dimensional neutron transport problem. → Analytical Discrete Ordinates Method. → Numerical results compared with the literature. - Abstract: In this work, a solution for a two-dimensional neutron transport problem, in cartesian geometry, is proposed, on the basis of nodal schemes. In this context, one-dimensional equations are generated by an integration process of the multidimensional problem. Here, the integration is performed for the whole domain such that no iterative procedure between nodes is needed. The ADO method is used to develop analytical discrete ordinates solution for the one-dimensional integrated equations, such that final solutions are analytical in terms of the spatial variables. The ADO approach along with a level symmetric quadrature scheme, lead to a significant order reduction of the associated eigenvalues problems. Relations between the averaged fluxes and the unknown fluxes at the boundary are introduced as the usually needed, in nodal schemes, auxiliary equations. Numerical results are presented and compared with test problems.

An alternative solver for the nodal expansion method equations - 106

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho da Silva, F.; Carlos Marques Alvim, A.; Senra Martinez, A.

2010-01-01

An automated procedure for nuclear reactor core design is accomplished by using a quick and accurate 3D nodal code, aiming at solving the diffusion equation, which describes the spatial neutron distribution in the reactor. This paper deals with an alternative solver for nodal expansion method (NEM), with only two inner iterations (mesh sweeps) per outer iteration, thus having the potential to reduce the time required to calculate the power distribution in nuclear reactors, but with accuracy similar to the ones found in conventional NEM. The proposed solver was implemented into a computational system which, besides solving the diffusion equation, also solves the burnup equations governing the gradual changes in material compositions of the core due to fuel depletion. Results confirm the effectiveness of the method for practical purposes. (authors)

Extra-nodal lymphoma. A survey of Japan lymphoma radiation therapy group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oguchi, Masahiko; Ikeda, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Shigeo

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine, retrospectively, national-wide clinical data of patients with localized extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) who were treated by radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. The survey was carried out at 25 radiation oncology institutions in Japan in 1998. In 1999, according to the Revised European American Lymphoma (REAL) classification, central pathological review conducted at Aichi cancer center was carried out for the data from 7 radiation oncology institutions. The 5-year progression free survival rates (PFS) were calculated to identify prognostic factors. Survey: Data from 1, 141 patients with stage I and II NHL were recruited from 1988 through 1992. Of them, 787 patients, who were treated using definitive radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy for intermediate and high-grade lymphomas in Working Formulation, constituted the core of this study. Primary tumors arose mainly from extra-nodal organs (71%) in the head and neck (Waldeyer's ring: 41%, thyroid gland: 7%, nasal cavities: 5%, oral cavities: 4%, sinus: 3%, orbital structures: 3%, skin: 2% and etc.). The median age of 60 years for patients with extra-nodal NHL was higher than that of 56 years for patients with nodal NHL (p<0.01). Female were dominant in incidence of extra-nodal NHL arising from the thyroid gland, skin and gastrointestinal tract. The percentage of stage I to the extra-nodal NHL from orbit, sino-nasal presentation was higher than that of other NHLs. The percentage of stage II to the extra-nodal NHL from Waldeyer's ring and thyroid gland was higher than that of other NHLs. Central pathological review was carried out for pathological data from 79 patients (Waldeyer's ring: 45, thyroid gland: 19, sinonasal cavities: 15). Of these, diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) composed 63% of all patients, mucosa associated lyumphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT-L): 16%, Natural Killer/T cell lymphoma (NK/T-L): 11%, and mantle cell lymphoma: 5% in REAL

Spectral nodal method for one-speed X,Y-geometry Eigenvalue diffusion problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominguez, Dany S.; Lorenzo, Daniel M.; Hernandez, Carlos G.; Barros, Ricardo C.; Silva, Fernando C. da

2001-01-01

Presented here is a new numerical nodal method for steady-state multidimensional neutron diffusion equation in rectangular geometry. Our method is based on a spectral analysis of the transverse-integrated nodal diffusion equations. These equations are obtained by integrating the diffusion equation in X and Y directions, and then considering flat approximations for the transverse leakage terms. These flat approximations are the only approximations that we consider in this method; as a result the numerical solutions are completely free from truncation errors in slab geometry. We show numerical results to illustrate the method's accuracy for coarse mesh calculations in a heterogeneous medium. (author)

DIF3D nodal neutronics option for two- and three-dimensional diffusion theory calculations in hexagonal geometry. [LMFBR

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Lawrence, R.D.

1983-03-01

A nodal method is developed for the solution of the neutron-diffusion equation in two- and three-dimensional hexagonal geometries. The nodal scheme has been incorporated as an option in the finite-difference diffusion-theory code DIF3D, and is intended for use in the analysis of current LMFBR designs. The nodal equations are derived using higher-order polynomial approximations to the spatial dependence of the flux within the hexagonal-z node. The final equations, which are cast in the form of inhomogeneous response-matrix equations for each energy group, involved spatial moments of the node-interior flux distribution plus surface-averaged partial currents across the faces of the node. These equations are solved using a conventional fission-source iteration accelerated by coarse-mesh rebalance and asymptotic source extrapolation. This report describes the mathematical development and numerical solution of the nodal equations, as well as the use of the nodal option and details concerning its programming structure. This latter information is intended to supplement the information provided in the separate documentation of the DIF3D code.

Cryopreservation of in vitro grown nodal segments of Rauvolfia serpentina by PVS2 vitrification.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Avik; Bhattacharya, Sabita

2008-01-01

This paper describes the cryopreservation by PVS2 vitrification of Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth ex kurz, an important tropical medicinal plant. The effects of type and size of explants, sucrose preculture (duration and concentration) and vitrification treatment were tested. Preliminary experiments with PVS1, 2 and 3 produced shoot growth only for PVS2. When optimizing the PVS2 vitrification of nodal segments, those of 0.31 - 0.39 cm in size were better than other nodal sizes and or apices. Sucrose preculture had a positive role in survival and subsequent regrowth of the cryopreserved explants. Seven days on 0.5 M sucrose solution significantly improved the viability of nodal segments. PVS2 incubation for 45 minutes combined with a 7-day preculture gave the optimum result of 66 percent. Plantlets derived after cryopreservation resumed growth and regenerated normally.

Prognostic impact of the level of nodal involvement: retrospective analysis of patients with advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, R; Nakayama, H; Semba, A; Hiraki, A; Nagata, M; Kawahara, K; Shiraishi, S; Hirai, T; Uozumi, H; Yamashita, Y

2017-01-01

We retrospectively evaluated the prognostic impact of the level of nodal involvement in patients with advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Between 2005 and 2010, 105 patients with clinical stage III or IV oral SCC had chemoradiotherapy preoperatively. Clinical (cN) and pathological nodal (pN) involvement was primarily at levels Ib and II. We defined nodal involvement at levels Ia and III-V as anterior and inferior extensions, respectively, and recorded such findings as extensive. With respect to pretreatment variables (age, clinical stage, clinical findings of the primary tumour, and nodal findings), univariate analysis showed that extensive cN was the only significant factor for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 3.27; 95% CI 1.50 to 7.13; p=0.001). Univariate analysis showed that all pN findings, including the nodal classification (invaded nodes, multiple, and contralateral) and extensive involvement were significant, and multivariate analysis confirmed that extensive pN (HR 4.71; 95% CI 1.85 to 11.97; p=0.001) and multiple pN (HR 2.59; 95% CI 1.10 to 6.09; p=0.029) were independent predictors of overall survival. Assessment based on the level of invaded neck nodes may be a better predictor of survival than the current nodal classification. Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hyoid bone chondrosarcoma with cervical nodal metastasis: A case ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Hyoid bone chondrosarcoma is a very rare condition. This study presents a case report of low-grade chondrosarcoma of hyoid bone with cervical nodal metastasis. The study also presents preoperative radiological investigations, pathological examination and the follow-up of the case. Case presentation: A 42 ...

The dynamic right-to-left translocation of Cerl2 is involved in the regulation and termination of Nodal activity in the mouse node.

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José Manuel Inácio

Full Text Available The determination of left-right body asymmetry in mouse embryos depends on the interplay of molecules in a highly sensitive structure, the node. Here, we show that the localization of Cerl2 protein does not correlate to its mRNA expression pattern, from 3-somite stage onwards. Instead, Cerl2 protein displays a nodal flow-dependent dynamic behavior that controls the activity of Nodal in the node, and the transmission of the laterality information to the left lateral plate mesoderm (LPM. Our results indicate that Cerl2 initially localizes and prevents the activation of Nodal genetic circuitry on the right side of the embryo, and later its right-to-left translocation shutdowns Nodal activity in the node. The consequent prolonged Nodal activity in the node by the absence of Cerl2 affects local Nodal expression and prolongs its expression in the LPM. Simultaneous genetic removal of both Nodal node inhibitors, Cerl2 and Lefty1, sustains even longer and bilateral this LPM expression.

Improvement of neutron kinetics module in TRAC-BF1code: one-dimensional nodal collocation method

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Jambrina, Ana; Barrachina, Teresa; Miro, Rafael; Verdu, Gumersindo, E-mail: ajambrina@iqn.upv.es, E-mail: tbarrachina@iqn.upv.es, E-mail: rmiro@iqn.upv.es, E-mail: gverdu@iqn.upv.es [Universidade Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia (Spain); Soler, Amparo, E-mail: asoler@iberdrola.es [SEA Propulsion S.L., Madrid (Spain); Concejal, Alberto, E-mail: acbe@iberdrola.es [Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construcion S.A.U., Madrid (Spain)

2013-07-01

The TRAC-BF1 one-dimensional kinetic model is a formulation of the neutron diffusion equation in the two energy groups' approximation, based on the analytical nodal method (ANM). The advantage compared with a zero-dimensional kinetic model is that the axial power profile may vary with time due to thermal-hydraulic parameter changes and/or actions of the control systems but at has the disadvantages that in unusual situations it fails to converge. The nodal collocation method developed for the neutron diffusion equation and applied to the kinetics resolution of TRAC-BF1 thermal-hydraulics, is an adaptation of the traditional collocation methods for the discretization of partial differential equations, based on the development of the solution as a linear combination of analytical functions. It has chosen to use a nodal collocation method based on a development of Legendre polynomials of neutron fluxes in each cell. The qualification is carried out by the analysis of the turbine trip transient from the NEA benchmark in Peach Bottom NPP using both the original 1D kinetics implemented in TRAC-BF1 and the 1D nodal collocation method. (author)

Error quantification of the axial nodal diffusion kernel of the DeCART code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, J. Y.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, C. C.

2006-01-01

This paper is to quantify the transport effects involved in the axial nodal diffusion kernel of the DeCART code. The transport effects are itemized into three effects, the homogenization, the diffusion, and the nodal effects. A five pin model consisting of four fuel pins and one non-fuel pin is demonstrated to quantify the transport effects. The transport effects are analyzed for three problems, the single pin (SP), guide tube (GT) and control rod (CR) problems by replacing the non-fuel pin with the fuel pin, a guide-tube and a control rod pins, respectively. The homogenization and diffusion effects are estimated to be about -4 and -50 pcm for the eigenvalue, and less than 2 % for the node power. The nodal effect on the eigenvalue is evaluated to be about -50 pcm in the SP and GT problems, and +350 pcm in the CR problem. Regarding the node power, this effect induces about a 3 % error in the SP and GT problems, and about a 20 % error in the CR problem. The large power error in the CR problem is due to the plane thickness, and it can be decreased by using the adaptive plane size. From the error quantification, it is concluded that the homogenization and the diffusion effects are not controllable if DeCART maintains the diffusion kernel for the axial solution, but the nodal effect is controllable by introducing the adaptive plane size scheme. (authors)

Effect of interfractional shoulder motion on low neck nodal targets for patients treated using volume modulated arc therapy (VMAT

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Kevin Casey

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To quantify the dosimetric impact of interfractional shoulder motion on targets in the low neck for head and neck patients treated with volume modulated arc therapy (VMAT.Methods: Three patients with head and neck cancer were selected. All three required treatment to nodal regions in the low neck in addition to the primary tumor site. The patients were immobilized during simulation and treatment with a custom thermoplastic mask covering the head and shoulders. One VMAT plan was created for each patient utilizing two full 360° arcs and a second plan was created consisting of two superior VMAT arcs matched to an inferior static AP supraclavicular field. A CT-on-rails alignment verification was performed weekly during each patient’s treatment course. The weekly CT images were registered to the simulation CT and the target contours were deformed and applied to the weekly CT. The two VMAT plans were copied to the weekly CT datasets and recalculated to obtain the dose to the deformed low neck contours.Results: The average observed shoulder position shift in any single dimension relative to simulation was 2.5 mm. The maximum shoulder shift observed in a single dimension was 25.7 mm. Low neck target mean doses, normalized to simulation and averaged across all weekly recalculations were 0.996, 0.991, and 1.033 (Full VMAT plan and 0.986, 0.995, and 0.990 (Half-Beam VMAT plan for the three patients, respectively. The maximum observed deviation in target mean dose for any individual weekly recalculation was 6.5%, occurring with the Full VMAT plan for Patient 3.Conclusion: Interfractional variation in dose to low neck nodal regions was quantified for three head and neck patients treated with VMAT. Mean dose was 3.3% higher than planned for one patient using a Full VMAT plan. A Half-Beam technique is likely a safer choice when treating the supraclavicular region with VMAT.-------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Casey K

Solution of the transport equation in stationary state, in one and two dimensions, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xolocostli M, J.V.

2002-01-01

The main objective of this work is to solve the neutron transport equation in one and two dimensions (slab geometry and X Y geometry, respectively), with no time dependence, for BWR assemblies using nodal methods. In slab geometry, the nodal methods here used are the polynomial continuous (CMPk) and discontinuous (DMPk) families but only the Linear Continuous (also known as Diamond Difference), the Quadratic Continuous (QC), the Cubic Continuous (CC), the Step Discontinuous (also known as Backward Euler), the Linear Discontinuous (LD) and the Quadratic Discontinuous (QD) were considered. In all these schemes the unknown function, the angular neutron flux, is approximated as a sum of basis functions in terms of Legendre polynomials, associated to the values of the neutron flux in the edges (left, right, or both) and the Legendre moments in the cell, depending on the nodal scheme used. All these schemes were implemented in a computer program developed in previous thesis works and known with the name TNX. This program was modified for the purposes of this work. The program discreetizes the domain of concern in one dimension and determines numerically the angular neutron flux for each point of the discretization when the number of energy groups and regions are known starting from an initial approximation for the angular neutron flux being consistent with the boundary condition imposed for a given problem. Although only problems with two-energy groups were studied the computer program does not have limitations regarding the number of energy groups and the number of regions. The two problems analyzed with the program TNX have practically the same characteristics (fuel and water), with the difference that one of them has a control rod. In the part corresponding to two-dimensional problems, the implemented nodal methods were those designated as hybrids that consider not only the edge and cell Legendre moments, but also the values of the neutron flux in the corner points

Atlas-Based Segmentation Improves Consistency and Decreases Time Required for Contouring Postoperative Endometrial Cancer Nodal Volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, Amy V.; Wortham, Angela; Wernick, Iddo; Evans, Andrew; Ennis, Ronald D.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Accurate target delineation of the nodal volumes is essential for three-dimensional conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy planning for endometrial cancer adjuvant therapy. We hypothesized that atlas-based segmentation ('autocontouring') would lead to time savings and more consistent contours among physicians. Methods and Materials: A reference anatomy atlas was constructed using the data from 15 postoperative endometrial cancer patients by contouring the pelvic nodal clinical target volume on the simulation computed tomography scan according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0418 trial using commercially available software. On the simulation computed tomography scans from 10 additional endometrial cancer patients, the nodal clinical target volume autocontours were generated. Three radiation oncologists corrected the autocontours and delineated the manual nodal contours under timed conditions while unaware of the other contours. The time difference was determined, and the overlap of the contours was calculated using Dice's coefficient. Results: For all physicians, manual contouring of the pelvic nodal target volumes and editing the autocontours required a mean ± standard deviation of 32 ± 9 vs. 23 ± 7 minutes, respectively (p = .000001), a 26% time savings. For each physician, the time required to delineate the manual contours vs. correcting the autocontours was 30 ± 3 vs. 21 ± 5 min (p = .003), 39 ± 12 vs. 30 ± 5 min (p = .055), and 29 ± 5 vs. 20 ± 5 min (p = .0002). The mean overlap increased from manual contouring (0.77) to correcting the autocontours (0.79; p = .038). Conclusion: The results of our study have shown that autocontouring leads to increased consistency and time savings when contouring the nodal target volumes for adjuvant treatment of endometrial cancer, although the autocontours still required careful editing to ensure that the lymph nodes at risk of recurrence are properly included in the target volume.

Regional brain network organization distinguishes the combined and inattentive subtypes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Saad, Jacqueline F; Griffiths, Kristi R; Kohn, Michael R; Clarke, Simon; Williams, Leanne M; Korgaonkar, Mayuresh S

2017-01-01

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized clinically by hyperactive/impulsive and/or inattentive symptoms which determine diagnostic subtypes as Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive (ADHD-HI), Predominantly Inattentive (ADHD-I), and Combined (ADHD-C). Neuroanatomically though we do not yet know if these clinical subtypes reflect distinct aberrations in underlying brain organization. We imaged 34 ADHD participants defined using DSM-IV criteria as ADHD-I ( n  = 16) or as ADHD-C ( n  = 18) and 28 matched typically developing controls, aged 8-17 years, using high-resolution T1 MRI. To quantify neuroanatomical organization we used graph theoretical analysis to assess properties of structural covariance between ADHD subtypes and controls (global network measures: path length, clustering coefficient, and regional network measures: nodal degree). As a context for interpreting network organization differences, we also quantified gray matter volume using voxel-based morphometry. Each ADHD subtype was distinguished by a different organizational profile of the degree to which specific regions were anatomically connected with other regions (i.e., in "nodal degree"). For ADHD-I (compared to both ADHD-C and controls) the nodal degree was higher in the hippocampus. ADHD-I also had a higher nodal degree in the supramarginal gyrus, calcarine sulcus, and superior occipital cortex compared to ADHD-C and in the amygdala compared to controls. By contrast, the nodal degree was higher in the cerebellum for ADHD-C compared to ADHD-I and in the anterior cingulate, middle frontal gyrus and putamen compared to controls. ADHD-C also had reduced nodal degree in the rolandic operculum and middle temporal pole compared to controls. These regional profiles were observed in the context of no differences in gray matter volume or global network organization. Our results suggest that the clinical distinction between the Inattentive and Combined subtypes of ADHD may also be

On the treatment of nonlinear local feedbacks within advanced nodal generalized perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maldonado, G.I.; Turinsky, P.J.; Kropaczek, D.J.

1993-01-01

Recent efforts to upgrade the underlying neutronics formulations within the in-core nuclear fuel management optimization code FORMOSA (Ref. 1) have produced two important developments; first, a computationally efficient and second-order-accurate advanced nodal generalized perturbation theory (GPT) model [derived from the nonlinear iterative nodal expansion method (NEM)] for evaluating core attributes (i.e., k eff and power distribution versus cycle burnup), and second, an equally efficient and accurate treatment of local thermal-hydraulic and fission product feedbacks embedded within NEM GPT. The latter development is the focus of this paper

One-dimensional nodal neutronics routines for the TRAC-BD1 thermal-hydraulics program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nigg, D.W.

1983-09-01

Nuclear reactor core transient neutronic behavior is currently modeled in the TRAC-BD1 code using a point-reactor kinetics formulation. This report describes a set of subroutines based on the Analytic Nodal Method that were written to provide TRAC-BD1 with a one-dimensional space-dependent neutronics capability. Use of the routines is illustrated with several test problems. The results of these problems show that the Analytic Nodal neutronics routines have desirable accuracy and computing time characteristics and should be a useful addition to TRAC-BD1

On the nodal structure of atomic and molecular Wigner functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, J.P.; Schmider, H.

1996-01-01

In previous work on the phase-space representation of quantum mechanics, we have presented detailed pictures of the electronic one-particle reduced Wigner function for atoms and small molecules. In this communication, we focus upon the nodal structure of the function. On the basis of the simplest systems, we present an expression which relates the oscillatory decay of the Wigner function solely to the dot product of the position and momentum vector, if both arguments are large. We then demonstrate the regular behavior of nodal patterns for the larger systems. For the molecular systems, an argument analogous to the open-quotes bond-oscillatory principleclose quotes for momentum densities links the nuclear framework to an additional oscillatory term in momenta parallel to bonds. It is shown that these are visible in the Wigner function in terms of characteristic nodes

A nodal model for the simulation of a PWR core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza Pinto, R. de.

1981-06-01

A computer program FORTRAN language was developed to simulate the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic transient behaviour of a PWR reactor core. The reator power is calculated using a point kinectics model with six groups of delayed neutron precursors. The fission product decay heat was considered assuming three effective decay heat groups. A nodal model was employed for the treatment of heat transfer in the fuel rod, with integration of the heat equation by the lumped parameter technique. Axial conduction was neglected. A single-channel nodal model was developed for the thermo-hydrodynamic simulation using mass and energy conservation equations for the control volumes. The effect of the axial pressure variation was neglected. The computer program was tested, with good results, through the simulation of the transient behaviour of postulated accidents in a typical PWR. (Author) [pt

Supraglottic carcinoma: Impact of radiation therapy on outcome of patients with positive margins and extracapsular nodal disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devineni, V.R.; Simpson, J.R.; Sessions, D.; Spector, J.G.; Hayden, R.; Fredrickson, J.; Fineberg, B.

1991-01-01

Seventy-nine patients with supraglottic carcinoma treated between 1966 and 1985 are reviewed. All patients were treated with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Thirty-five percent of the patients had positive margins at the site of resection of the primary tumor. Of the 25 patients who had positive nodal disease, 13 patients (52%) had either extracapsular extension or soft-tissue or adjacent organ invasion, referred to in composite as grave signs. The median follow-up of the patients was 4.9 years and all patients were followed for a minimum of 3 years. The disease-free survival for all patients was 76% at 2 years and 71% at 3 years. The locoregional control rate for all patients was 70%. This study demonstrates that there is no difference in local recurrence or disease-free survival, or time to recurrence relative to the status of the surgical margins, which may be a benefit of the postoperative radiation therapy. This study also demonstrates that there is an increase in the number of patients with grave signs with increasing nodal stage. The rate of neck recurrence in patients with grave signs was substantially higher (54%) than in patients without grave signs (8%), even though these patients also had positive lymph nodes. Interestingly, there was also a higher rate of local recurrence among patients who had grave signs. Patients receiving doses higher than 6000 cGy to the primary site had fewer local failures, although within each group of patients with positive or negative surgical margins the differences in survival were minimal

Proposed Lymph Node Staging System Using the International Consensus Guidelines for Lymph Node Levels Is Predictive for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients From Endemic Areas Treated With Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Wen-Fei; Sun, Ying; Mao, Yan-Ping; Chen, Lei; Chen, Yuan-Yuan; Chen, Mo [Department of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou (China); Liu, Li-Zhi [Imaging Diagnosis and Interventional Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou (China); Lin, Ai-Hua [Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (China); Li, Li [Imaging Diagnosis and Interventional Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou (China); Ma, Jun, E-mail: majun2@mail.sysu.edu.cn [Department of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou (China)

2013-06-01

Purpose: To propose a lymph node (N) staging system for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on the International Consensus Guidelines for lymph node (LN) levels and MRI-determined nodal variables. Methods and Materials: The MRI scans and medical records of 749 NPC patients receiving intensity modulated radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. The prognostic significance of nodal level, laterality, maximal axial diameter, extracapsular spread, necrosis, and Union for International Cancer Control/American Joint Committee on Cancer (UICC/AJCC) size criteria were analyzed. Results: Nodal level and laterality were the only independent prognostic factors for distant failure and disease failure in multivariate analysis. Compared with unilateral levels Ib, II, III, and/or Va involvement (hazard ratio [HR] 1), retropharyngeal lymph node involvement alone had a similar prognostic value (HR 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-1.17; P=.17), whereas bilateral levels Ib, II, III, and/or Va involvement (HR 1.65; 95% CI 1.06-2.58; P=.03) and levels IV, Vb, and/or supraclavicular fossa involvement (HR 3.47; 95% CI 1.92-6.29; P<.01) both significantly increased the HR for distant failure. Thus we propose that the N category criteria could be revised as follows: N0, no regional LN metastasis; N1, retropharyngeal lymph node involvement, and/or unilateral levels Ib, II, III, and/or Va involvement; N2, bilateral levels Ib, II, III, and/or Va involvement; N3, levels IV, Vb, and/or supraclavicular fossa involvement. Compared with the 7th edition of the UICC/AJCC criteria, the proposed N staging system provides a more satisfactory distinction between the HRs for regional failure, distant failure, and disease failure in each N category. Conclusions: The proposed N staging system defined by the International Consensus Guidelines and laterality is predictive and practical. However, because of no measurements of the maximal nodal diameter on MRI slices

Reconstruction of pin burnup characteristics from nodal calculations in hexagonal geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W.S.; Finck, P.J.; Khalil, H.S.

1990-01-01

A reconstruction method has been developed for recovering pin burnup characteristics from fuel cycle calculations performed in hexagonal-z geometry using the nodal diffusion option of the DIF3D/REBUS-3 code system. Intra-modal distributions of group fluxes, nuclide densities, power density, burnup, and fluence are efficiently computed using polynomial shapes constrained to satisfy nodal information. The accuracy of the method has been tested by performing several numerical benchmark calculations and by comparing predicted local burnups to values measured for experimental assemblies in EBR-11. The results indicate that the reconstruction methods are quite accurate, yielding maximum errors in power and nuclide densities that are less than 2% for driver assemblies and typically less than 5% for blanket assemblies. 14 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

Toxicity and quality of life after choline-PET/CT directed salvage lymph node dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy in nodal recurrent prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jilg, Cordula A; Leifert, Anja; Schnell, Daniel; Kirste, Simon; Volegova-Neher, Natalia; Schlager, Daniel; Wieser, Gesche; Henne, Karl; Schultze-Seemann, Wolfgang; Grosu, Anca-L; Rischke, Hans Christian

2014-01-01

In a previous study we demonstrated that, based on 11 C/ 18 F-choline positron emission tomography-computerized-tomography as a diagnostic tool, salvage lymph node dissection (LND) plus adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) is feasible for treatment of pelvic/retroperitoneal nodal recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the toxicity of this combined treatment strategy has not been systematically investigated before. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the acute and late toxicity and quality of life of ART after LND in pelvic/retroperitoneal nodal recurrent PCa. 43 patients with nodal recurrent PCa were treated with 46 LND followed by ART (mean 49.6 Gy total dose) at the sites of nodal recurrence. Toxicity of ART was analysed by physically examination (31/43, 72.1%), by requesting 15 frequent items of adverse events from the Common-Terminology-Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.0-catalogue and by review of medical records. QLQ-C30 (EORTC quality of life assessment) and PR25 (prostate cancer module) questionnaires were used to investigate quality of life. Toxicity was evaluated before starting of ART, during ART (acute toxicity), after ART (mean 2.3 months) and at end of follow up (mean 3.2 years after end of ART) reflecting late toxicity. 71.7% (33/46) of 46 ART were treatment of pelvic, 10.9% (5/46) of retroperitoneal only and 28.3% (13/46) of pelvic and retroperitoneal regions. Overall 52 symptoms representing toxicities were observed before ART, 107 during ART, 88 after end of ART and 52 at latest follow up. Leading toxicities during ART were diarrhoea (19%, 20/107), urinary incontinence (16%, 17/107) and fatigue (16%, 17/107). The spectrum of late toxicities was almost equal to those before beginning of ART. No grade 3 adverse events or chronic lymphedema at extremities were observed. We observed no clear correlation between localisation of treated regions, technique of ART and frequency or severity of toxicities. Mean quality of life at final evaluation

Predictors and Patterns of Local, Regional, and Distant Failure in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Vulva.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogani, Giorgio; Cromi, Antonella; Serati, Maurizio; Uccella, Stefano; Donato, Violante Di; Casarin, Jvan; Naro, Edoardo Di; Ghezzi, Fabio

2017-06-01

To identify factors predicting for recurrence in vulvar cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment. We retrospectively evaluated data of consecutive patients with squamous cell vulvar cancer treated between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2013. Basic descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis were used to design predicting models influencing outcomes. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Cox model. The study included 101 patients affected by vulvar cancer: 64 (63%) stage I, 12 (12%) stage II, 20 (20%) stage III, and 5 (5%) stage IV. After a mean (SD) follow-up of 37.6 (22.1) months, 21 (21%) recurrences occurred. Local, regional, and distant failures were recorded in 14 (14%), 6 (6%), and 3 (3%) patients, respectively. Five-year DFS and OS were 77% and 82%, respectively. At multivariate analysis only stromal invasion >2 mm (hazard ratio: 4.9 [95% confidence interval, 1.17-21.1]; P=0.04) and extracapsular lymph node involvement (hazard ratio: 9.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.17-69.5); P=0.03) correlated with worse DFS, although no factor independently correlated with OS. Looking at factors influencing local and regional failure, we observed that stromal invasion >2 mm was the only factor predicting for local recurrence, whereas lymph node extracapsular involvement predicted for regional recurrence. Stromal invasion >2 mm and lymph node extracapsular spread are the most important factors predicting for local and regional failure, respectively. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of adjuvant treatment in high-risk patients are warranted.

A nodal collocation method for the calculation of the lambda modes of the P L equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capilla, M.; Talavera, C.F.; Ginestar, D.; Verdu, G.

2005-01-01

P L equations are classical approximations to the neutron transport equation admitting a diffusive form. Using this property, a nodal collocation method is developed for the P L approximations, which is based on the expansion of the flux in terms of orthonormal Legendre polynomials. This method approximates the differential lambda modes problem by an algebraic eigenvalue problem from which the fundamental and the subcritical modes of the system can be calculated. To test the performance of this method, two problems have been considered, a homogeneous slab, which admits an analytical solution, and a seven-region slab corresponding to a more realistic problem

Tumour thickness as a predictor of nodal metastases in oral cancer: comparison between tongue and floor of mouth subsites.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, Deepak; Ebrahimi, Ardalan; Gupta, Ruta; Gao, Kan; Elliott, Michael; Palme, Carsten E; Clark, Jonathan R

2014-12-01

To identify whether tumour thickness as a predictor of nodal metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma differs between tongue and floor of mouth (FOM) subsites. Retrospective review of 343 patients treated between 1987 and 2012. The neck was considered positive in the presence of pathologically proven nodal metastases on neck dissection or during follow-up. There were 222 oral tongue and 121 FOM tumours. In patients with FOM tumours 2.1-4mm thick, the rate of nodal metastases was 41.7%. In contrast, for tongue cancers of a similar thickness the rate was only 11.2%. This increased to 38.5% in patients with tongue cancers that were 4.1-6mm thick. Comparing these two subsites, FOM cancers cross the critical 20% threshold of probability for nodal metastases between 1 and 2mm whereas tongue cancers cross the 20% threshold just under 4mm thickness. On logistic regression adjusting for relevant covariates, there was a significant difference in the propensity for nodal metastases based on tumour thickness according to subsite (p=0.028). Thin FOM tumours (2.1-4mm) have a high rate of nodal metastases. Elective neck dissection is appropriate in FOM tumours ⩾2mm thick and in tongue tumours ⩾4mm thick. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity analysis to a RELAP5 nodalization developed for a typical TRIGA research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reis, Patrícia A.L.; Costa, Antonella L.; Pereira, Claubia; Silva, Clarysson A.M.; Veloso, Maria Auxiliadora F.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We investigated how much the code results are affected by the code user. ► Two essential modifications were made on a previously validated nodalization. ► We used the RELAP5 code to predict the results. ► Results highlight the necessity of sensitivity analysis to have the ideal modeling. - Abstract: The main aim of this work is to identify how much the code results are affected by the code user in the choice of, for example, the number of thermal hydraulic channels in a nuclear reactor nodalization. To perform this, two essential modifications were made on a previously validated nodalization for analysis of steady-state and forced recirculation off transient in the IPR-R1 TRIGA research reactor. Experimental data were taken as reference to compare the behavior of the reactor for two different types of modeling. The results highlight the necessity of sensitivity analysis to obtain the ideal modeling to simulate a specific system.

CRY 1AB trangenic cowpea obtained by nodal electroporation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Electroporation-mediated genetic transformation was used to introduce Cry 1 Ab insecticidal gene into cowpea. Nodal buds were electroporated in planta with a plasmid carrying the Cry 1Ab and antibiotic resistance npt II genes driven by a 35S CaMV promoter. T1 seeds derived from electroporated branches were selected ...

Note on the nodal line of the p-Laplacian

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdel R. El Amrouss

2006-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we prove that the length of the nodal line of the eigenfunctions associated to the second eigenvalue of the problem $$ -Delta_p u = lambda ho (x |u|^{p-2}u quad hbox{in } Omega $$ with the Dirichlet conditions is not bounded uniformly with respect to the weight.

A nodal method based on the response-matrix method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunha Menezes Filho, A. da; Rocamora Junior, F.D.

1983-02-01

A nodal approach based on the Response-Matrix method is presented with the purpose of investigating the possibility of mixing two different allocations in the same problem. It is found that the use of allocation of albedo combined with allocation of direct reflection produces good results for homogeneous fast reactor configurations. (Author) [pt

SPANDOM - source projection analytic nodal discrete ordinates method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Hyeong; Cho, Nam Zin

1994-01-01

We describe a new discrete ordinates nodal method for the two-dimensional transport equation. We solve the discrete ordinates equation analytically after the source term is projected and represented in polynomials. The method is applied to two fast reactor benchmark problems and compared with the TWOHEX code. The results indicate that the present method accurately predicts not only multiplication factor but also flux distribution

Engineering topological phases with a three-dimensional nodal-loop semimetal

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linhu; Yap, Han Hoe; Araújo, Miguel A. N.; Gong, Jiangbin

2017-12-01

A three-dimensional (3D) nodal-loop semimetal phase is exploited to engineer a number of intriguing phases featuring different peculiar topological surface states. In particular, by introducing various two-dimensional gap terms to a 3D tight-binding model of a nodal-loop semimetal, we obtain a rich variety of topological phases of great interest to ongoing theoretical and experimental studies, including a chiral insulator, degenerate-surface-loop insulator, and second-order topological insulator, as well as a Weyl semimetal with tunable Fermi arc profiles. The unique concept underlying our approach is to engineer topological surface states that inherit their dispersion relations from a gap term. The results provide one rather unified principle for the creation of novel topological phases and can guide the search for new topological materials. Two-terminal transport studies are also carried out to distinguish the engineered topological phases.

Qualification of a full plant nodalization for the prediction of the core exit temperature through a scaling methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freixa, J., E-mail: jordi.freixa-terradas@upc.edu; Martínez-Quiroga, V., E-mail: victor.martinez.quiroga@upc.edu; Reventós, F., E-mail: francesc.reventos@upc.edu

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Core exit temperature is used in PWRs as an indication of core heat up. • Qualification of full scale nuclear reactors by means of a scaling methodology. • Scaling of RELAP5 calculations to full scale power plants. - Abstract: System codes and their necessary power plant nodalizations are an essential step in thermal hydraulic safety analysis. In order to assess the safety of a particular power plant, in addition to the validation and verification of the code, the nodalization of the system needs to be qualified. Since most existing experimental data come from scaled-down facilities, any qualification process must therefore address scale considerations. The Group of Thermal Hydraulic Studies at Technical University of Catalonia has developed a scaling-up methodology (SCUP) for the qualification of full-scale nodalizations through a systematic procedure based on the extrapolation of post-test simulations of Integral Test Facility experiments. In the present work, the SCUP methodology will be employed to qualify the nodalization of the AscóNPP, a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR), for the reproduction of an important safety phenomenon which is the effectiveness of the Core Exit Temperature (CET) as an Accident Management (AM) indicator. Given the difficulties in placing measurements in the core region, CET measurements are used as a criterion for the initiation of safety operational procedures during accidental conditions in PWR. However, the CET response has some limitation in detecting inadequate core cooling simply because the measurement is not taken in the position where the cladding exposure occurs. In order to apply the SCUP methodology, the OECD/NEA ROSA-2 Test 3, an SBLOCA in the hot leg, has been selected as a starting point. This experiment was conducted at the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF), a facility operated by the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and was focused on the assessment of the effectiveness of AM actions triggered by

Modification of atrioventricular nodal electrophysiology by selective radiofrequency delivery on the anterior or posterior approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Chorro, F J; Sanchis, J; Such, L; Artal, L; Llavador, J J; Llavador, E; Monmeneu, J V; López-Merino, V

1997-05-01

An analysis was made in 14 isolated and perfused rabbit hearts of the electrophysiological effects of selective radiofrequency (RF) delivery in the anterior (group I, n = 7) or posterior zone (group II, n = 7) of the Koch triangle, with the aim of modifying atrioventricular nodal (AVN) conduction without suppressing 1:1 transmission. After opening the right atrium, RF was delivered (0.5 W) with a 1-mm diameter unipolar electrode positioned in the selected zone until a prolongation of no less than 15% was obtained in the Wenckebach cycle length (WCL). Before and after (30 min) RF, anterograde and retrograde AVN refractoriness and conduction were evaluated, stimulating from the crista terminalis (CT), the interatrial septum (IAS), and from the RV epicardium. After RF, the following percentage increments were observed in group I: AH(CT) = 36% +/- 9%, AH(IAS) = 38% +/- 11%, WCL(CT) = 28% +/- 8%, WCL(IAS) = 22% +/- 6%, functional refractory period (FRP) of the AVN(CT) = 13% +/- 11%, FRP-AVN(IAS) = 13% +/- 8%, retrograde WCL = 20% +/- 19%, and retrograde FRPVA = 13% +/- 16%. The increments observed in group II and the significances of the differences with respect to group I were: AH(CT) = 11% +/- 14% (P IAS) = 19% +/- 32% (NS), WCL(CT) = 42% +/- 14% (P IAS) = 42% +/- 16% (P < 0.01), FRP-AVN(CT) = 28% +/- 28% (NS), FRP-AVN(LAS) = 21% +/- 19% (NS), retrograde WCL = 35% +/- 24% (NS), and retrograde FRP = 16% +/- 13% (NS). In both groups, the AH interval variations were not correlated with those of the rest of the parameters analyzed. Truncated nodal function curves suggestive of a dual AV nodal pathway were obtained in three experiments, though in only one of them was this observed under basal conditions. In the other two experiments, with dual AV nodal physiology only after RF (one from each group), AV nodal reentrant tachycardias were triggered with atrial extrastimulus at coupling intervals equal to or shorter than at those that cause a sudden lengthening of the AH

An Interesting Case of Retropharyngeal Lymph Nodal Metastases in a Case of Iodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Harisankar, Chidambaram Natrajan Balasubramanian; Vijayabhaskar, Ramakrishnan

2018-01-01

Metastases to cervical lymph node are fairly common in differentiated thyroid cancer. In iodine-refractory disease, the disease may persist in the thyroid bed, cervical lymph nodes, lungs, or the bones commonly. Retropharyngeal lymph nodal involvement in thyroid cancer is unusual and may even be the presenting complaint. We represent a case of iodine-refractory thyroid cancer with retropharyngeal lymph nodal involvement in addition to lung metastases.

Nodalization qualification process of the PSBVVER facility for the Cathare2 thermal-hydraulic code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Nevo, A.; Araneo, D.; D'Auria, F.; Galassi, G.

2004-01-01

The present document deals with the nodalization qualification process of the PSB-VVER test facility for Cathare2 code. PSB-VVER facility is a 1/300 volume scale model of a VVER-1000, reactor installed at Electrogorsk Research and Engineering Centre in 1998. The version V1.5b of the Cathare2 code has been used. In order to evaluate the nodalization performance, the qualifying procedure set up at the DIMNP of Pisa University (UNIPI) has been applied that foresees two qualification levels: a 'steady state' level and an 'on transient' level. After the steady state behavior check of the nodalization, it has been preformed the on transient qualification the PSB-VVER test 2. It is a 11% equivalent break in Upper Plenum with the actuation of one high pressure injection system, connected to the hot leg of the loop 4, and 4 passive systems (ECCS hydro-accumulators), connected to the outlet plenum and to the inlet chamber of the downcomer. The low-pressure injection system is not available in the test. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that the first step of the nodalization qualification adopted for the PSB test analyses is achieved and the PSB facility input deck is available and ready to use. The quantitative accuracy of the performed calculation has been evaluated by using the FFT-BM tool developed at the University of Pisa.(author)

Development and Validation of NODAL-LAMBDA Program for the Calculation of the Sub-criticality of LAMDA MODES By Nodal Methods in BWR reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munoz-Cobo, J. L.; Merino, R.; Escriva, A.; Melara, J.; Concejal, A.

2014-01-01

We have developed a 3D code with two energy groups and diffusion theory that is capable of calculating eigenvalues lambda of a BWR reactor using nodal methods and boundary conditions that calculates ALBEDO NODAL-LAMBDA from the properties of the reflector code itself. The code calculates the sub-criticality of the first harmonic, which is involved in the stability against oscillations reactor out of phase, and which is needed for calculating the decay rate for data out of phase oscillations. The code is very fast and in a few seconds is able to make a calculation of the first eigenvalues and eigenvectors, discretized solving the problem with different matrix elements zero. The code uses the LAPACK and ARPACK libraries. It was necessary to modify the LAPACK library to perform various operations with five non-diagonal matrices simultaneously in order to reduce the number of calls to bookstores and simplify the procedure for calculating the matrices in compressed format CSR. The code is validated by comparing it with the results for SIMULATE different cases and making 3D BENCHMAR of the IAEA. (Author)

Result of Radiation Therapy for Stage I, II Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyu Chan; Kim, Chul Yong; Choi, Myung Sun

1993-01-01

A retrospective analysis was done for 69 patients with Stage I and II non-Hodgkin lymphoma who were treated from May 1981 to December 1990, in the Department of Radiadtion Oncology, Korea University Hospital. We used Ann Arbor Staging system and Working Formulation for histological classification. Forty-three patients(43/69, 62.3%) were Stage I and 26 patients (26/69, 37.7%) were Stage II, and B symptom was found in 10.1%(7/69). Local control rate for all patients was 88.4%(61/69), with 80% (12/15) for nodal lymphoma and 90.7%(49/54) for extra nodal lymphoma. The total failure rate was 34.8%(24/69). Five of 24 (20.8%) patients who were failed developed local failure only, 12.5%(3/24) local failure with distant failure, and distant failure only were found in 66.7%(16/24). Between nodal lymphoma and extra nodal lymphoma, there was no significant survival difference, but extra nodal lymphoma showed higher incidence

Exact boundary controllability of nodal profile for quasilinear hyperbolic systems

CERN Document Server

Li, Tatsien; Gu, Qilong

2016-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the exact boundary controllability of nodal profile, a new kind of exact boundary controllability stimulated by some practical applications. This kind of controllability is useful in practice as it does not require any precisely given final state to be attained at a suitable time t=T by means of boundary controls, instead it requires the state to exactly fit any given demand (profile) on one or more nodes after a suitable time t=T by means of boundary controls. In this book we present a general discussion of this kind of controllability for general 1-D first order quasilinear hyperbolic systems and for general 1-D quasilinear wave equations on an interval as well as on a tree-like network using a modular-structure construtive method, suggested in LI Tatsien's monograph "Controllability and Observability for Quasilinear Hyperbolic Systems"(2010), and we establish a complete theory on the local exact boundary controllability of nodal profile for 1-D quasilinear hyp...

Dirac Magnon Nodal Loops in Quasi-2D Quantum Magnets.

Science.gov (United States)

Owerre, S A

2017-07-31

In this report, we propose a new concept of one-dimensional (1D) closed lines of Dirac magnon nodes in two-dimensional (2D) momentum space of quasi-2D quantum magnetic systems. They are termed "2D Dirac magnon nodal-line loops". We utilize the bilayer honeycomb ferromagnets with intralayer coupling J and interlayer coupling J L , which is realizable in the honeycomb chromium compounds CrX 3 (X ≡ Br, Cl, and I). However, our results can also exist in other layered quasi-2D quantum magnetic systems. Here, we show that the magnon bands of the bilayer honeycomb ferromagnets overlap for J L  ≠ 0 and form 1D closed lines of Dirac magnon nodes in 2D momentum space. The 2D Dirac magnon nodal-line loops are topologically protected by inversion and time-reversal symmetry. Furthermore, we show that they are robust against weak Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction Δ DM  magnon edge modes.

Final Report, Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) Project: An Innovative Reactor Analysis Methodology Based on a Quasidiffusion Nodal Core Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anistratov, Dmitriy Y.; Adams, Marvin L.; Palmer, Todd S.; Smith, Kord S.; Clarno, Kevin; Hikaru Hiruta; Razvan Nes

2003-01-01

OAK (B204) Final Report, NERI Project: ''An Innovative Reactor Analysis Methodology Based on a Quasidiffusion Nodal Core Model'' The present generation of reactor analysis methods uses few-group nodal diffusion approximations to calculate full-core eigenvalues and power distributions. The cross sections, diffusion coefficients, and discontinuity factors (collectively called ''group constants'') in the nodal diffusion equations are parameterized as functions of many variables, ranging from the obvious (temperature, boron concentration, etc.) to the more obscure (spectral index, moderator temperature history, etc.). These group constants, and their variations as functions of the many variables, are calculated by assembly-level transport codes. The current methodology has two main weaknesses that this project addressed. The first weakness is the diffusion approximation in the full-core calculation; this can be significantly inaccurate at interfaces between different assemblies. This project used the nodal diffusion framework to implement nodal quasidiffusion equations, which can capture transport effects to an arbitrary degree of accuracy. The second weakness is in the parameterization of the group constants; current models do not always perform well, especially at interfaces between unlike assemblies. The project developed a theoretical foundation for parameterization and homogenization models and used that theory to devise improved models. The new models were extended to tabulate information that the nodal quasidiffusion equations can use to capture transport effects in full-core calculations

The value of nodal information in predicting lung cancer relapse using 4DPET/4DCT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Heyse, E-mail: heyse.li@mail.utoronto.ca [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 (Canada); Becker, Nathan; Raman, Srinivas [Radiation Oncology, UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University of Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2M9 (Canada); Chan, Timothy C. Y. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada and Techna Institute for the Advancement of Technology for Health, 124 - 100 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1P5 (Canada); Bissonnette, Jean-Pierre [Radiation Oncology, UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University of Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2M9, Canada and Techna Institute for the Advancement of Technology for Health, 124 - 100 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1P5 (Canada)

2015-08-15

Purpose: There is evidence that computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging metrics are prognostic and predictive in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment outcomes. However, few studies have explored the use of standardized uptake value (SUV)-based image features of nodal regions as predictive features. The authors investigated and compared the use of tumor and node image features extracted from the radiotherapy target volumes to predict relapse in a cohort of NSCLC patients undergoing chemoradiation treatment. Methods: A prospective cohort of 25 patients with locally advanced NSCLC underwent 4DPET/4DCT imaging for radiation planning. Thirty-seven image features were derived from the CT-defined volumes and SUVs of the PET image from both the tumor and nodal target regions. The machine learning methods of logistic regression and repeated stratified five-fold cross-validation (CV) were used to predict local and overall relapses in 2 yr. The authors used well-known feature selection methods (Spearman’s rank correlation, recursive feature elimination) within each fold of CV. Classifiers were ranked on their Matthew’s correlation coefficient (MCC) after CV. Area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity values are also presented. Results: For predicting local relapse, the best classifier found had a mean MCC of 0.07 and was composed of eight tumor features. For predicting overall relapse, the best classifier found had a mean MCC of 0.29 and was composed of a single feature: the volume greater than 0.5 times the maximum SUV (N). Conclusions: The best classifier for predicting local relapse had only tumor features. In contrast, the best classifier for predicting overall relapse included a node feature. Overall, the methods showed that nodes add value in predicting overall relapse but not local relapse.

The Nodal Location of Metastases in Melanoma Sentinel Lymph Nodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riber-Hansen, Rikke; Nyengaard, Jens; Hamilton-Dutoit, Stephen

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: The design of melanoma sentinel lymph node (SLN) histologic protocols is based on the premise that most metastases are found in the central parts of the nodes, but the evidence for this belief has never been thoroughly tested. METHODS: The nodal location of melanoma metastases in 149...

Stage III Melanoma in the Axilla: Patterns of Regional Recurrence After Surgery With and Without Adjuvant Radiation Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinkham, Mark B., E-mail: mark.pinkham@health.qld.gov.au [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia); Foote, Matthew C. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Queensland Melanoma Project, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Diamantina Institute, Brisbane (Australia); University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia); Burmeister, Elizabeth [Nursing Practice Development Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice, Griffith University, Brisbane (Australia); Thomas, Janine [Queensland Melanoma Project, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Meakin, Janelle [Clinical Trials Research Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Smithers, B. Mark [Queensland Melanoma Project, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia); Burmeister, Bryan H. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); Queensland Melanoma Project, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane (Australia); University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia)

2013-07-15

Purpose: To describe the anatomic distribution of regionally recurrent disease in patients with stage III melanoma in the axilla after curative-intent surgery with and without adjuvant radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: A single-institution, retrospective analysis of a prospective database of 277 patients undergoing curative-intent treatment for stage III melanoma in the axilla between 1992 and 2012 was completed. For patients who received radiation therapy and those who did not, patterns of regional recurrence were analyzed, and univariate analyses were performed to assess for potential factors associated with location of recurrence. Results: There were 121 patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy because their clinicopathologic features conferred a greater risk of regional recurrence. There were 156 patients who received no radiation therapy. The overall axillary control rate was 87%. There were 37 patients with regional recurrence; 17 patients had received adjuvant radiation therapy (14%), and 20 patients (13%) had not. The likelihood of in-field nodal recurrence was significantly less in the adjuvant radiation therapy group (P=.01) and significantly greater in sites adjacent to the axilla (P=.02). Patients with high-risk clinicopathologic features who did not receive adjuvant radiation therapy also tended to experience in-field failure rather than adjacent-field failure. Conclusions: Patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy were more likely to experience recurrence in the adjacent-field regions rather than in the in-field regions. This may not simply reflect higher-risk pathology. Using this data, it may be possible to improve outcomes by reducing the number of adjacent-field recurrences after adjuvant radiation therapy.

Stage III Melanoma in the Axilla: Patterns of Regional Recurrence After Surgery With and Without Adjuvant Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinkham, Mark B.; Foote, Matthew C.; Burmeister, Elizabeth; Thomas, Janine; Meakin, Janelle; Smithers, B. Mark; Burmeister, Bryan H.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To describe the anatomic distribution of regionally recurrent disease in patients with stage III melanoma in the axilla after curative-intent surgery with and without adjuvant radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: A single-institution, retrospective analysis of a prospective database of 277 patients undergoing curative-intent treatment for stage III melanoma in the axilla between 1992 and 2012 was completed. For patients who received radiation therapy and those who did not, patterns of regional recurrence were analyzed, and univariate analyses were performed to assess for potential factors associated with location of recurrence. Results: There were 121 patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy because their clinicopathologic features conferred a greater risk of regional recurrence. There were 156 patients who received no radiation therapy. The overall axillary control rate was 87%. There were 37 patients with regional recurrence; 17 patients had received adjuvant radiation therapy (14%), and 20 patients (13%) had not. The likelihood of in-field nodal recurrence was significantly less in the adjuvant radiation therapy group (P=.01) and significantly greater in sites adjacent to the axilla (P=.02). Patients with high-risk clinicopathologic features who did not receive adjuvant radiation therapy also tended to experience in-field failure rather than adjacent-field failure. Conclusions: Patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy were more likely to experience recurrence in the adjacent-field regions rather than in the in-field regions. This may not simply reflect higher-risk pathology. Using this data, it may be possible to improve outcomes by reducing the number of adjacent-field recurrences after adjuvant radiation therapy

Loads on EPR containment after RPV failure at high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, G.

1995-01-01

As regards the desgin of the EPR, the general strategy is to eliminate, the vessel failure at high pressure by preventive and mitigative measures. The design proposals involved trust in the reliability of dedicated devices (relief valves) for rapid depressurization. The aim is to attain a lower pressure level at the moment of vessel failure, so that the containment is capable to cope with the blowdown impact on the pit walls and the vessel supporting structures. Nevertheless, the potential of a high-pressure failure of the vessel must be kept in mind, whatever well thought-out and reliable preventive depressurization measures might be. Therefore, the reactor pressure blowdown has been studied in order to quantify the ultimate containment load, which might support future design requirements. The calculations were performed with the LWR transient analysis thermal-hydraulics computer code REALAP5/MOD3. In previous analyses, the nodalization of the problem was based on the geometrical conditions of a typical German 1300 MW(e) NPP. In the present analysis a new input model has been used, which was based on the EPR conditions. (orig./HP)

Radiotherapy of adult nodal non Hodgkin's lymphoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gamen, G.; Thirion, P.

1999-01-01

The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been modified by the introduction of efficient chemotherapy and the development of different pathological classifications. The recommended treatment of early-stage aggressive lymphomas is primarily a combination chemotherapy. The interest of adjuvant radiotherapy remains unclear and has to be established through large prospective trials. If radiation therapy has to be delivered, the historical results of exclusive radiation therapy showed that involved-fields and a dose of 35-40 Gy (daily fraction of 1.8 Gy, 5 days a week) are the optimal schedule. The interest of radiotherapy in the treatment of advanced-stage aggressive lymphoma is yet to be proven. Further studies had to stratify localized stages according to the factors of the International Prognostic Index. For easy-stage low-grade lymphoma, radiotherapy remains the standard treatment. However, the appropriate technique to use is controversial. Involved-field irradiation at a dose of 35 Gy seems to be the optimal schedule, providing a 10 year disease-free survival rate of 50 % and no major toxicity. There is no standard indication of radiotherapy in the treatment advanced-stage low-grade lymphoma. For 'new' nodal lymphoma's types, the indication of radiotherapy cannot be established (mantle-zone lymphoma, marginal zone B-cell lymphoma) or must take into account the natural history (Burkitt's lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma) and the sensibility to others therapeutic methods. (authors)

GDF3 is a BMP inhibitor that can activate Nodal signaling only at very high doses

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Ariel J.; Levine, Zachary J.; Brivanlou, Ali H.

2013-01-01

Within the TGF-β superfamily, there are approximately forty ligands divided into two major branches: the TGF-β/Activin/Nodal ligands and the BMP/GDF ligands. We studied the ligand GDF3 and found that it inhibits signaling by its co-family members, the BMPs; however, GDF3 has been described by others to have Nodal-like activity. Here, we show that GDF3 can activate Nodal signaling, but only at very high doses and only upon mRNA over-expression. In contrast, GDF3 inhibits BMP signaling upon over-expression of GDF3 mRNA, as recombinant protein, and regardless of its dose. We therefore further characterized the mechanism through which GDF3 protein acts as a specific BMP inhibitor and found that the BMP inhibitory activity of GDF3 resides redundantly in the unprocessed, predominant form and in the mature form of the protein. These results confirm and extend the activity that we described for GDF3 and illuminate the experimental basis for the different observations of others. We suggest that GDF3 is either a bi-functional TGF-β ligand, or, more likely, that it is a BMP inhibitor that can artificially activate Nodal signaling under non-physiological conditions. PMID:18823971

Twisted vector bundles on pointed nodal curves

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

by identifying the points p1 and p2. If m ≥ 2, let R1,...,Rm−1 be m − 1 copies of the projective line P1 and let xi,yi be two distinct points in Ri. Let R be the nodal curve which arises from the union. R0 ⊔ R1 ⊔···⊔ Rm−1 ⊔ Rm by identifying p1 ∈ R0 and p2 ∈ Rm with x1 ∈ R1 and ym−1 ∈ Rm−1 respectively and by identifying ...

Usefulness of FDG PET for nodal staging using a dual head coincidence camera in patients with lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Seok Nam; Park, Chan H.; Lee, Myoung Hoon; Hwang, Kyung Hoon; Hwang, Kyung Hoon

2001-01-01

Staging of lung cancer requires an accurate evaluation of the mediastinum. Positron imaging with dual head cameras may be not as sensitive as dedicated PET. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluated the usefulness of F-18 FDG coincidence (CoDe) PET using a dual-head gamma camera in the nodal staging of the lung cancer. CoDe-PET studies were performed in 51 patients with histologically proven non small cell lung cancer. CoDe-PET began 60 minutes after the injection of 111-185 MBq of F-18 FDG. CoDe-PET was performed using a dual-head gamma camera equipped with coincidence detection circuitry (Elscints Varicam, Haifa, lsrael). There was no attenuation correction made and reconstruction was done using a filtered back-projection. Surgery was performed in 49 patients CoDe-PET studies were evaluated visually. Any focal increased uptake was considered abnormal. The nodal stating of CoDe-PET studies were evaluated visually. Any focal increased uptake was considered abnormal. The nodal staging of CoDe-PET and of CT were compared with the nodal stating of surgical (49) and mediastinoscopical (2) pathology. All primary lung lesions were hypermetabolic and easily visualized. Compared with surgical nodal staging as a gold standard, false positives occurred in 13 CoDe PET and 17 CT studies and false negative occurred in 5 CoDe-PET and 4 CT studies. Assessment of lymph node involvement by CoDe-PET depicted a sensitivity of 67%, specificity of 64% and accuracy of 65%. CT revealed a sensitivity of 73%, specificity of 53% and accuracy of 59% in the assessment of lymph node involvement. The detection of primary lesions were 100% but nodal staging was suboptimal for routine clinical use. This is mainly due to limited resolution of our system

The analytic nodal diffusion solver ANDES in multigroups for 3D rectangular geometry: Development and performance analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lozano, Juan-Andres; Garcia-Herranz, Nuria; Ahnert, Carol; Aragones, Jose-Maria

2008-01-01

In this work we address the development and implementation of the analytic coarse-mesh finite-difference (ACMFD) method in a nodal neutron diffusion solver called ANDES. The first version of the solver is implemented in any number of neutron energy groups, and in 3D Cartesian geometries; thus it mainly addresses PWR and BWR core simulations. The details about the generalization to multigroups and 3D, as well as the implementation of the method are given. The transverse integration procedure is the scheme chosen to extend the ACMFD formulation to multidimensional problems. The role of the transverse leakage treatment in the accuracy of the nodal solutions is analyzed in detail: the involved assumptions, the limitations of the method in terms of nodal width, the alternative approaches to implement the transverse leakage terms in nodal methods - implicit or explicit -, and the error assessment due to transverse integration. A new approach for solving the control rod 'cusping' problem, based on the direct application of the ACMFD method, is also developed and implemented in ANDES. The solver architecture turns ANDES into an user-friendly, modular and easily linkable tool, as required to be integrated into common software platforms for multi-scale and multi-physics simulations. ANDES can be used either as a stand-alone nodal code or as a solver to accelerate the convergence of whole core pin-by-pin code systems. The verification and performance of the solver are demonstrated using both proof-of-principle test cases and well-referenced international benchmarks

Two-dimensional analytical solution for nodal calculation of nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Adilson C.; Pessoa, Paulo O.; Silva, Fernando C.; Martinez, Aquilino S.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A proposal for a coarse mesh nodal method is presented. • The proposal uses the analytical solution of the two-dimensional neutrons diffusion equation. • The solution is performed homogeneous nodes with dimensions of the fuel assembly. • The solution uses four average fluxes on the node surfaces as boundary conditions. • The results show good accuracy and efficiency. - Abstract: In this paper, the two-dimensional (2D) neutron diffusion equation is analytically solved for two energy groups (2G). The spatial domain of reactor core is divided into a set of nodes with uniform nuclear parameters. To determine iteratively the multiplication factor and the neutron flux in the reactor we combine the analytical solution of the neutron diffusion equation with an iterative method known as power method. The analytical solution for different types of regions that compose the reactor is obtained, such as fuel and reflector regions. Four average fluxes in the node surfaces are used as boundary conditions for analytical solution. Discontinuity factors on the node surfaces derived from the homogenization process are applied to maintain averages reaction rates and the net current in the fuel assembly (FA). To validate the results obtained by the analytical solution a relative power density distribution in the FAs is determined from the neutron flux distribution and compared with the reference values. The results show good accuracy and efficiency.

MICROPROPAGATION OF ADULT TREE OF PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM ROXB. USING NODAL EXPLANTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shipra JAISWAL

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Attempts were made for in vitro propagation of Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb., belonging to family Fabaceae, an economically important multipurpose tree. The tree is scared with noval antidiabetic properties. The tree shows poor seed germination capacity (30% due to hard seed coat and conventional vegetative regeneration methods are a complete failure. Therefore, the propagation of this tree by tissue culture techniques is an urgent need and well justified. Nodal segments containing axillary bud from 10 years old tree of P. marsupium were evaluated for axillary shoot proliferation on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS basal medium fortified with BAP (6–benzylaminopurine and kinetin (Kn singly or in combinations with auxins at different concentrations. The best shoot proliferation was obtained with 13.95 µM Kn + additives (568 µM Ascorbic acid, 260 µM Citric acid, 605 µM Ammonium sulphate and 217 µM Adenine sulphate in MS medium where 64.44% of the axillary buds responded with development of (2.51±0.10 shoots. Multiplication of in vitro shoots were achieved on MS Medium supplemented with Kn (9.30 µM + NAA (0.54 µM and additives. Half strength MS medium supplemented with 4.92 µM IBA induced in vitro rooting of in vitro shoots. In vitro regenerated plantlets with well developed roots were successfully hardened in a greenhouse.

Regeneration of three sweet potato (Ipomea batatas (L.)) accessions via meristem, Nodal and callus induction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Addae-Frimpomaah, F.

2012-11-01

In vitro regeneration of three sweet potato accessions UE007, UK-BNARI and SA-BNARI using meristem, nodal cuttings or callus induction was studied. Meristematic explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (1962) basal medium supplemented with low concentration of benzylaminopurine (BAP) or kinetin resulted in callus with or without shoot development which delayed shoot emergence. The degree of callus development increased as the concentration of the cytokinin in the culture medium increased. Although, callus development was comparatively lower on kinetin amended medium than BAP amended medium, Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.25mg/1BAP had the highest shoot induction (80%). For further differentiation of callus or shoots into distinct stem and leaves, the culture were transferred into fresh MS medium supplemented with 0.25mg/1 BAP, 0.1 mg/1 NAA and 0.1 mg/1 Gibberellic acid (GA 3 . To overcome the delay in shoot initiation using meristem culture, nodal cuttings of sweet potato were used as explants and cultured on MS medium amended with 0.3 - 0.9mg/1 BAP. All explants cultured on 0.3 or 0.6mg/1 BAP developed shoots. Furthermore, liquid MS medium amended with 0.25mg/1 BAP, 0.1mg/I NAA, and 0.1mg/1 GA 3 also enhanced early shoot development from nodal cutting explants compared to solid culture. Post flask acclimatisation of meristem or nodal cutting-derived plantlets showed that meristem derived plantlets were better acclimatised than nodal cutting plants due to vigorous root development leading to higher percentage survival in pots and subsequent tuber production. Callusogenesis was achieved when leaf lobe explants were cultured on CLC/ Ipomoea medium supplemented with 1.0 - 4.0mg/1 2,4-D with 4.0mg/1 2,4-D being the optimal concentration. However, the calli were non-embryogenic and therefore could not produce embryos when transferred to 0.1mg/1 BAP amended medium but rather produced either single or multiple shoots. The highest percentage shoot (83

Características morfológicas y posibles implicaciones clínicas de las arterias nodales Morphological characteristics and potential clinical implications of nodal arteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis E Ballesteros

2010-12-01

Full Text Available La expresión morfológica de las arterias nodales es relevante en el diagnóstico y manejo de eventos clínicos y en abordajes quirúrgicos del corazón. Se estudiaron 88 arterias nodales de corazones obtenidos como material de autopsia. Las arterias coronarias se inyectaron con resina poliéster pigmentada de color rojo. Se registraron las formas de presentación de las arterias nodales y sus características morfométricas. La arteria del nodo sinoatrial se originó de la coronaria derecha en 52 casos (59,1%, de la circunfleja en 33 corazones (37,35% y de ambas en 3 (3,4%. Su calibre proximal fue de 1,31 mm (± 0,3, correspondiente a las arterias originadas de la coronaria derecha de 1,25 mm (± 0,3 mientras que las que se originaron de la arteria circunfleja obtuvieron un calibre de 1,42 mm (± 0,3, siendo esta diferencia significativa (p= 0,01. Se originó con mayor frecuencia en el tercio anteromedial, tanto de la coronaria derecha como de la circunfleja (54,6% y 61,2% respectivamente. En su segmento final cruzó por delante de la desembocadura de la vena cava superior en la mayoría de los casos (44%, mientras que en 22 corazones (24,5% cursó alrededor de la cava. Se observó arteria en forma de «S» en 14 casos (15,9% del total de la muestra y 42,4% de las originadas de la arteria circunfleja. La arteria del nodo atrioventricular se originó del segmento en «U» invertida de la coronaria derecha, al nivel de la cruz cardiaca, en 81 corazones (92%, y presentó un calibre proximal de 1,06 mm (± 0,22. Con relación al calibre y al origen se evidencian hallazgos que coinciden con estudios previos. Se destaca la alta prevalencia de la arteria en forma de «S» y de la trayectoria de la arteria sinoatrial alrededor de la vena cava superior.The morphological expression of nodal arteries is important in the diagnosis and management of cardiac clinical events and surgical approaches. 88 nodal arteries of hearts obtained from autopsies were

Discrete nodal integral transport-theory method for multidimensional reactor physics and shielding calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, R.D.; Dorning, J.J.

1980-01-01

A coarse-mesh discrete nodal integral transport theory method has been developed for the efficient numerical solution of multidimensional transport problems of interest in reactor physics and shielding applications. The method, which is the discrete transport theory analogue and logical extension of the nodal Green's function method previously developed for multidimensional neutron diffusion problems, utilizes the same transverse integration procedure to reduce the multidimensional equations to coupled one-dimensional equations. This is followed by the conversion of the differential equations to local, one-dimensional, in-node integral equations by integrating back along neutron flight paths. One-dimensional and two-dimensional transport theory test problems have been systematically studied to verify the superior computational efficiency of the new method

NODAL and SHH dose-dependent double inhibition promotes an HPE-like phenotype in chick embryos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Mercier

2013-03-01

Holoprosencephaly (HPE is a common congenital defect that results from failed or incomplete forebrain cleavage. HPE is characterized by a wide clinical spectrum, with inter- and intrafamilial variability. This heterogeneity is not well understood and it has been suggested that HPE involves a combination of multiple gene mutations. In this model, several mutated alleles or modifying factors are presumed to act in synergy to cause and determine the severity of HPE. This could explain the various clinical phenotypes. Screening for HPE-associated genes in humans suggests the involvement of NODAL or SHH signaling, or both. To test this multigenic hypothesis, we investigated the effects of chemical inhibition of these two main HPE signaling pathways in a chick embryo model. SB-505124, a selective inhibitor of transforming growth factor-B type I receptors was used to inhibit the NODAL pathway. Cyclopamine was used to inhibit the SHH pathway. We report that both inhibitors caused HPE-like defects that were dependent on the drug concentration and on the developmental stage at the time of treatment. We also investigated double inhibition of NODAL and SHH pathways from the onset of gastrulation by using subthreshold inhibitor concentrations. The inhibitors of the NODAL and SHH pathways, even at low concentration, acted synergistically to promote an HPE-like phenotype. These findings support the view that genetic heterogeneity is important in the etiology of HPE and may contribute to the phenotypic variability.

Reasons for failure to identify positive sentinel nodes in breast cancer patients with significant nodal involvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Kanter, A. Y.; Menke-Pluijmers, M. B. E.; Henzen-Logmans, S. C.; van Geel, A. N.; van Eijck, C. J. H.; Wiggers, T.; Eggermont, A. M. M.

Aim: To analyse causes of failure of sentinel node (SN) procedures in breast cancer patients and assess the role of pre-operative ultrasound examination of the axilla. Methods: In 138 consecutive clinically node negative breast cancer patients with the primary turnout in situ a SN procedure with

The exponential function expansion of the intra-nodal cross sections for the spectral history gradient correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, J. Y.; Noh, J. M.; Cheong, H. K.; Choo, H. K.

1998-01-01

In order to simplify the previous spectral history effect correction based on the polynomial expansion nodal method, a new spectral history effect correction is proposed. The new spectral history correction eliminates four microscopic depletion points out of total 13 depletion points in the previous correction by approximating the group cross sections with exponential function. The neutron flux to homogenize the group cross sections for the correction of the spectral history effect is calculated by the analytic function expansion nodal method in stead of the conventional polynomial expansion nodal method. This spectral history correction model is verified against the three MOX benchmark cores: a checkerboard type, a small core with 25 fuel assemblies, and a large core with 177 fuel assemblies. The benchmark results prove that this new spectral history correction model is superior to the previous one even with the reduced number of the local microscopic depletion points

Activin- and Nodal-related factors control antero-posterior patterning of the zebrafish embryo.

Science.gov (United States)

Thisse, B; Wright, C V; Thisse, C

2000-01-27

Definition of cell fates along the dorso-ventral axis depends on an antagonistic relationship between ventralizing transforming growth factor-beta superfamily members, the bone morphogenetic proteins and factors secreted from the dorsal organizer, such as Noggin and Chordin. The extracellular binding of the last group to the bone morphogenetic proteins prevents them from activating their receptors, and the relative ventralizer:antagonist ratio is thought to specify different dorso-ventral cell fates. Here, by taking advantage of a non-genetic interference method using a specific competitive inhibitor, the Lefty-related gene product Antivin, we provide evidence that cell fate along the antero-posterior axis of the zebrafish embryo is controlled by the morphogenetic activity of another transforming growth factor-beta superfamily subgroup--the Activin and Nodal-related factors. Increasing antivin doses progressively deleted posterior fates within the ectoderm, eventually resulting in the removal of all fates except forebrain and eyes. In contrast, overexpression of activin or nodal-related factors converted ectoderm that was fated to be forebrain into more posterior ectodermal or mesendodermal fates. We propose that modulation of intercellular signalling by Antivin/Activin and Nodal-related factors provides a mechanism for the graded establishment of cell fates along the antero-posterior axis of the zebrafish embryo.

[Does nodal irradiation (clavicular and internal mammary chains) increase the toxicity of adjuvant breast radiotherapy?].

Science.gov (United States)

Riou, O; Bourgier, C; Fenoglietto, P; Azria, D

2015-06-01

Treatment volume is a major risk factor of radiation-induced toxicity. As nodal irradiation increases treatment volume, radiation toxicity should be greater. Nevertheless, scientific randomised data do not support this fact. However, a radiation-induced toxicity is possible outside tangential fields in the nodal volumes not related to breast-only treatment. Treatment should not be adapted only to the disease but personalized to the individual risk of toxicity for each patient. Copyright © 2015 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

A Nodal-independent and tissue-intrinsic mechanism controls heart-looping chirality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Noel, E.S.; Verhoeven, M.; Lagendijk, A.K.; Tessadori, F.; Smith, K.; Choorapoikayil, S.; den Hertog, J.; Bakkers, J.

2013-01-01

Breaking left-right symmetry in bilateria is a major event during embryo development that is required for asymmetric organ position, directional organ looping and lateralized organ function in the adult. Asymmetric expression of Nodal-related genes is hypothesized to be the driving force behind

T-cell receptor (TCR) phenotype of nodal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma (CTL): a clinicopathologic study of 39 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Seiichi; Asano, Naoko; Miyata-Takata, Tomoko; Takata, Katsuyoshi; Elsayed, Ahmed Ali; Satou, Akira; Takahashi, Emiko; Kinoshita, Tomohiro; Nakamura, Shigeo

2015-04-01

Among Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cytotoxic T/NK-cell lymphoma, there are only a few reports on the clinicopathologic features of patients with primary nodal presentation (nodal EBV cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma [CTL]). Here, we compared the clinicopathologic profiles of 39 patients with nodal EBV CTL with those of 27 cases of "extranasal" NK/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type (ENKTL), especially addressing their T-cell receptor (TCR) phenotype. Histologically, 22 of 39 nodal EBV CTL cases (56%) were unique in having centroblastoid appearance, which was contrasted with the lower incidence of this feature in ENKTL (15%, P=0.001). In contrast, pleomorphic appearance was more frequently seen in ENKTL than in nodal EBV CTL (67% vs. 23%, P=0.001). Thirty-three of 39 nodal EBV CTL cases (85%) were of T-cell lineage on the basis of TCR expression and/or TCRγ gene rearrangement; in detail, 18 cases (46%) were TCRβ positive (αβ T), 5 (13%) were TCRγ and/or δ positive (γδ T), and 10 (26%) were TCR-silent type with clonal TCRγ gene rearrangement but no expression of TCRβ, γ, or δ. These results were clearly contrasted by a lower incidence of T-cell lineage in ENKTL (7 cases, 26%, P<0.001). Notably, the survival time of the 5 nodal lymphoma patients with γδ T-cell phenotype was within 3 months, which was inferior to those of αβ T and TCR-silent types (P=0.003), and 3 of those with available clinical information were all found to be associated with autoimmune diseases. These data suggest that nodal EBV CTL is distinct from ENKTL.

An evaluation of nodalization/decay heat/ volatile fission product release models in ISAAC code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yong Mann; Park, Soo Yong; Kim, Dong Ha

2003-03-01

An ISAAC computer code, which was developed for a Level-2 PSA during 1995, has developed mainly with fundamental models for CANDU-specific severe accident progression and also the accident-analyzing experiences are limited to Level-2 PSA purposes. Hence the system nodalization model, decay model and volatile fission product release model, which are known to affect fission product behavior directly or indirectly, are evaluated to both enhance understanding for basic models and accumulate accident-analyzing experiences. As a research strategy, sensitivity studies of model parameters and sensitivity coefficients are performed. According to the results from core nodalization sensitivity study, an original 3x3 nodalization (per loop) method which groups horizontal fuel channels into 12 representative channels, is evaluated to be sufficient for an optimal scheme because detailed nodalization methods have no large effect on fuel thermal-hydraulic behavior, total accident progression and fission product behavior. As ANSI/ANS standard model for decay heat prediction after reactor trip has no needs for further model evaluation due to both wide application on accident analysis codes and good comparison results with the ORIGEN code, ISAAC calculational results of decay heat are used as they are. In addition, fission product revaporization in a containment which is caused by the embedded decay heat, is demonstrated. The results for the volatile fission product release model are analyzed. In case of early release, the IDCOR model with an in-vessel Te release option shows the most conservative results and for the late release case, NUREG-0772 model shows the most conservative results. Considering both early and late release, the IDCOR model with an in-vessel Te bound option shows mitigated conservative results.

Topological surface states in nodal superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnyder, Andreas P; Brydon, Philip M R

2015-06-24

Topological superconductors have become a subject of intense research due to their potential use for technical applications in device fabrication and quantum information. Besides fully gapped superconductors, unconventional superconductors with point or line nodes in their order parameter can also exhibit nontrivial topological characteristics. This article reviews recent progress in the theoretical understanding of nodal topological superconductors, with a focus on Weyl and noncentrosymmetric superconductors and their protected surface states. Using selected examples, we review the bulk topological properties of these systems, study different types of topological surface states, and examine their unusual properties. Furthermore, we survey some candidate materials for topological superconductivity and discuss different experimental signatures of topological surface states.

Topological surface states in nodal superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnyder, Andreas P; Brydon, Philip M R

2015-01-01

Topological superconductors have become a subject of intense research due to their potential use for technical applications in device fabrication and quantum information. Besides fully gapped superconductors, unconventional superconductors with point or line nodes in their order parameter can also exhibit nontrivial topological characteristics. This article reviews recent progress in the theoretical understanding of nodal topological superconductors, with a focus on Weyl and noncentrosymmetric superconductors and their protected surface states. Using selected examples, we review the bulk topological properties of these systems, study different types of topological surface states, and examine their unusual properties. Furthermore, we survey some candidate materials for topological superconductivity and discuss different experimental signatures of topological surface states. (topical review)

Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Eyelid and Periocular Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merritt, Helen [Orbital Oncology and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Program, Department of Plastic Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 1488, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Ruiz Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Sniegowski, Matthew C.; Esmaeli, Bita, E-mail: besmaeli@mdanderson.org [Orbital Oncology and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Program, Department of Plastic Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 1488, Houston, TX 77030 (United States)

2014-05-09

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in the eyelid and periocular region can be treated surgically, in most cases, with preservation of the eye and reasonable visual function. Adjuvant radiation therapy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and chemotherapy should be considered for MCC of the eyelid and periocular region, especially for larger tumors that are T2b or more advanced and lesions that present with regional nodal or distant metastasis.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Eyelid and Periocular Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merritt, Helen; Sniegowski, Matthew C.; Esmaeli, Bita

2014-01-01

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in the eyelid and periocular region can be treated surgically, in most cases, with preservation of the eye and reasonable visual function. Adjuvant radiation therapy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and chemotherapy should be considered for MCC of the eyelid and periocular region, especially for larger tumors that are T2b or more advanced and lesions that present with regional nodal or distant metastasis

A self-consistent nodal method in response matrix formalism for the multigroup diffusion equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malambu, E.M.; Mund, E.H.

1996-01-01

We develop a nodal method for the multigroup diffusion equations, based on the transverse integration procedure (TIP). The efficiency of the method rests upon the convergence properties of a high-order multidimensional nodal expansion and upon numerical implementation aspects. The discrete 1D equations are cast in response matrix formalism. The derivation of the transverse leakage moments is self-consistent i.e. does not require additional assumptions. An outstanding feature of the method lies in the linear spatial shape of the local transverse leakage for the first-order scheme. The method is described in the two-dimensional case. The method is validated on some classical benchmark problems. (author)

Bifurcation from infinity and nodal solutions of quasilinear elliptic differential equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bian-Xia Yang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this article, we establish a unilateral global bifurcation theorem from infinity for a class of $N$-dimensional p-Laplacian problems. As an application, we study the global behavior of the components of nodal solutions of the problem $$\\displaylines{ \\operatorname{div}(\\varphi_p(\

A least squares principle unifying finite element, finite difference and nodal methods for diffusion theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackroyd, R.T.

1987-01-01

A least squares principle is described which uses a penalty function treatment of boundary and interface conditions. Appropriate choices of the trial functions and vectors employed in a dual representation of an approximate solution established complementary principles for the diffusion equation. A geometrical interpretation of the principles provides weighted residual methods for diffusion theory, thus establishing a unification of least squares, variational and weighted residual methods. The complementary principles are used with either a trial function for the flux or a trial vector for the current to establish for regular meshes a connection between finite element, finite difference and nodal methods, which can be exact if the mesh pitches are chosen appropriately. Whereas the coefficients in the usual nodal equations have to be determined iteratively, those derived via the complementary principles are given explicitly in terms of the data. For the further development of the connection between finite element, finite difference and nodal methods, some hybrid variational methods are described which employ both a trial function and a trial vector. (author)

Analysis of cause-specific failure endpoints using simple proportions: an example from a randomized controlled clinical trial in early breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panzarella, Tony; Meakin, J. William

1998-01-01

Purpose: To describe a statistically valid method for analyzing cause-specific failure data based on simple proportions, that is easy to understand and apply, and outline under what conditions its implementation is well-suited. Methods and Materials: In the comparison of treatment groups, time to first failure (in any site) was analyzed first, followed by an analysis of the pattern of first failure, preferably at the latest complete follow-up time common to each group. Results: A retrospective analysis of time to contralateral breast cancer in 777 early breast cancer patients was undertaken. Patients previously treated by mastectomy plus radiation therapy to the chest wall and regional nodal areas were randomized to receive further radiation and prednisone (R+P), radiation alone (R), or no further treatment (NT). Those randomized to R+P had a statistically significantly delayed time to first failure compared to the group randomized to NT (p = 0.0008). Patients randomized to R also experienced a delayed time to first failure compared to NT, but the difference was not statistically significant (p 0.14). At 14 years from the date of surgery (the latest common complete follow-up time) the distribution of first failures was statistically significantly different between R+P and NT (p = 0.005), but not between R and NT (p = 0.09). The contralateral breast cancer first failure rate at 14 years from surgery was 7.2% for NT, 4.6% for R, and 3.7% for R+P. The corresponding Kaplan-Meier estimates were 13.2%, 8.2%, and 5.4%, respectively. Conclusion: Analyzing cause-specific failure data using methods developed for survival endpoints is problematic. We encourage the use of the two-step analysis strategy described when, as in the example presented, competing causes of failure are not likely to be statistically independent, and when a treatment comparison at a single time-point is clinically relevant and feasible; that is, all patients have complete follow-up to this point

Numerical nodal simulation of the axial power distribution within nuclear reactors using a kinetics diffusion model. I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, R.C. de.

1992-05-01

Presented here is a new numerical nodal method for the simulation of the axial power distribution within nuclear reactors using the one-dimensional one speed kinetics diffusion model with one group of delayed neutron precursors. Our method is based on a spectral analysis of the nodal kinetics equations. These equations are obtained by integrating the original kinetics equations separately over a time step and over a spatial node, and then considering flat approximations for the forward difference terms. These flat approximations are the only approximations that are considered in the method. As a result, the spectral nodal method for space - time reactor kinetics generates numerical solutions for space independent problems or for time independent problems that are completely free from truncation errors. We show numerical results to illustrate the method's accuracy for coarse mesh calculations. (author)

An analytical nodal method for time-dependent one-dimensional discrete ordinates problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, R.C. de

1992-01-01

In recent years, relatively little work has been done in developing time-dependent discrete ordinates (S N ) computer codes. Therefore, the topic of time integration methods certainly deserves further attention. In this paper, we describe a new coarse-mesh method for time-dependent monoenergetic S N transport problesm in slab geometry. This numerical method preserves the analytic solution of the transverse-integrated S N nodal equations by constants, so we call our method the analytical constant nodal (ACN) method. For time-independent S N problems in finite slab geometry and for time-dependent infinite-medium S N problems, the ACN method generates numerical solutions that are completely free of truncation errors. Bsed on this positive feature, we expect the ACN method to be more accurate than conventional numerical methods for S N transport calculations on coarse space-time grids

Hereditary bone dysplasia with pathological fractures and nodal osteoarthropathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arendse, Regan; Brink, Paul; Beighton, Peter

2009-01-01

A father and daughter both had multiple pathological fractures and nodal osteoarthropathy. The father, aged 50 years, had at least 20 healed fractures of the axial and appendicular skeleton, sustained by minor trauma over his 50-year lifespan, many of which had been surgically fixed prior to his first presentation to us. Fractures of the clavicles, thoracic cage and long bones of the arms and legs, had healed with malalignment and deformity. Healed fractures were complicated by ankylosis of the cervical vertebrae and both elbows. He also had osteoarthritis of the hands, with exuberant osteophytosis, and profound perceptive deafness. His general health was good, his intellect and facies were normal, and his sclerae were white. The daughter, aged 27 years, had sustained at least seven fractures of the axial and appendicular skeleton following trivial injuries, in distribution similar to those of the father. She had also experienced painful swelling of the fingers, which preceded progressive development of nodal osteoarthropathy. Her hearing was normal. In both individuals, biochemical and immunological investigations yielded normal results. It was not possible for molecular studies to be undertaken. Pedigree data were consistent with autosomal dominant transmission, and this disorder appeared to be a previously undocumented heritable skeletal dysplasia. (orig.)

Hereditary bone dysplasia with pathological fractures and nodal osteoarthropathy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arendse, Regan [University of Stellenbosch, Department of Medicine, Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch (South Africa); University of Cape Town, Division of Rheumatology, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town (South Africa); Brink, Paul [University of Stellenbosch, Department of Medicine, Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch (South Africa); Beighton, Peter [University of Cape Town, Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cape Town (South Africa)

2009-12-15

A father and daughter both had multiple pathological fractures and nodal osteoarthropathy. The father, aged 50 years, had at least 20 healed fractures of the axial and appendicular skeleton, sustained by minor trauma over his 50-year lifespan, many of which had been surgically fixed prior to his first presentation to us. Fractures of the clavicles, thoracic cage and long bones of the arms and legs, had healed with malalignment and deformity. Healed fractures were complicated by ankylosis of the cervical vertebrae and both elbows. He also had osteoarthritis of the hands, with exuberant osteophytosis, and profound perceptive deafness. His general health was good, his intellect and facies were normal, and his sclerae were white. The daughter, aged 27 years, had sustained at least seven fractures of the axial and appendicular skeleton following trivial injuries, in distribution similar to those of the father. She had also experienced painful swelling of the fingers, which preceded progressive development of nodal osteoarthropathy. Her hearing was normal. In both individuals, biochemical and immunological investigations yielded normal results. It was not possible for molecular studies to be undertaken. Pedigree data were consistent with autosomal dominant transmission, and this disorder appeared to be a previously undocumented heritable skeletal dysplasia. (orig.)

Dosimetric evaluation of the feasibility of stereotactic body radiotherapy for primary lung cancer with lobe-specific selective elective nodal irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Komatsu, Tetsuya; Kunieda, Etsuo; Kitahara, Tadashi; Akiba, Takeshi; Nagao, Ryuta; Fukuzawa, Tsuyoshi

2016-01-01

More than 10% of all patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for primary lung cancer develop regional lymph node recurrence. We evaluated the dosimetric feasibility of SBRT with lobe-specific selective elective nodal irradiation (ENI) on dose-volume histograms. A total of 21 patients were treated with SBRT for Stage I primary lung cancer between January 2010 and June 2012 at our institution. The extents of lobe-specific selective ENI fields were determined with reference to prior surgical reports. The ENI fields included lymph node stations (LNS) 3 + 4 + 11 for the right upper lobe tumors, LNS 7 + 11 for the right middle or lower lobe tumors, LNS 5 + 11 for the left upper lobe tumors, and LNS 7 + 11 for the left lower lobe tumors. A composite plan was generated by combining the ENI plan and the SBRT plan and recalculating for biologically equivalent doses of 2 Gy per fraction, using a linear quadratic model. The V20 of the lung, D(1cm3) of the spinal cord, D(1cm3) and D(10cm3) of the esophagus and D(10cm3) of the tracheobronchial wall were evaluated. Of the 21 patients, nine patients (43%) could not fulfill the dose constraints. In all these patients, the distance between the planning target volume (PTV) of ENI (PTVeni) and the PTV of SBRT (PTVsrt) was ≤2.0 cm. Of the three patients who developed regional metastasis, two patients had isolated lymph node failure, and the lymph node metastasis was included within the ENI field. When the distance between the PTVeni and PTVsrt is >2.0 cm, SBRT with selective ENI may therefore dosimetrically feasible. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

The use of genetic programming in the analysis of quantitative gene expression profiles for identification of nodal status in bladder cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, Anirban P; Almal, Arpit A; George, Ben; Fry, David W; Lenehan, Peter F; Pagliarulo, Vincenzo; Cote, Richard J; Datar, Ram H; Worzel, William P

2006-01-01

Previous studies on bladder cancer have shown nodal involvement to be an independent indicator of prognosis and survival. This study aimed at developing an objective method for detection of nodal metastasis from molecular profiles of primary urothelial carcinoma tissues. The study included primary bladder tumor tissues from 60 patients across different stages and 5 control tissues of normal urothelium. The entire cohort was divided into training and validation sets comprised of node positive and node negative subjects. Quantitative expression profiling was performed for a panel of 70 genes using standardized competitive RT-PCR and the expression values of the training set samples were run through an iterative machine learning process called genetic programming that employed an N-fold cross validation technique to generate classifier rules of limited complexity. These were then used in a voting algorithm to classify the validation set samples into those associated with or without nodal metastasis. The generated classifier rules using 70 genes demonstrated 81% accuracy on the validation set when compared to the pathological nodal status. The rules showed a strong predilection for ICAM1, MAP2K6 and KDR resulting in gene expression motifs that cumulatively suggested a pattern ICAM1>MAP2K6>KDR for node positive cases. Additionally, the motifs showed CDK8 to be lower relative to ICAM1, and ANXA5 to be relatively high by itself in node positive tumors. Rules generated using only ICAM1, MAP2K6 and KDR were comparably robust, with a single representative rule producing an accuracy of 90% when used by itself on the validation set, suggesting a crucial role for these genes in nodal metastasis. Our study demonstrates the use of standardized quantitative gene expression values from primary bladder tumor tissues as inputs in a genetic programming system to generate classifier rules for determining the nodal status. Our method also suggests the involvement of ICAM1, MAP2K6, KDR

F18 FDG positron emission tomography revelation of primary testicular lymphoma with concurrent multiple extra nodal involvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vamsy, Mohana; Dattatreya, P.S.; Parakh, Megha; Dayal, Monal; Prabhakar Rao, V.V.S.

2013-01-01

Primary testicular lymphoma (PTL) a relatively rare disease of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas occurring with a lesser incidence of 1-2% has a propensity to occur at later ages above 50 years. PTL spreads to extra nodal sites due to deficiency of extra cellular adhesion molecules. We present detection of multiple sites of extra nodal involvement of PTL by F-18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography study aiding early detection of the dissemination thus aiding in staging and management. (author)

Compromised Global and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Congestive Heart Failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, J. S.; Kim, J. J.; Im, K. C.; Moon, D. H. [College of Medicine, Univ. of Ulsan, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

It has been known that cerebral perfusion is maintained in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) by a complex series of compensatory mechanisms. However cognitive impairment is a common problem experienced by patients with CHF and may result from deranged cerebral perfusion. We prospectively investigated the global and regional CBF of patients with CHF and compared the results with that of normal controls. Thirty two patients (M/F: 22/10, 4211 yr) with CHF (LVEF=218.1%) and 10 healthy controls (M/F: 6/4, 398 yr) were prospectively studied. No patients had cerebrovascular disease or other disease affecting cognitive function. All patients and normal controls underwent radionuclide angiography including cerebral hemispheres and aortic arch, and brain perfusion SPECT using Tc-99m ECD. Global CBF was measured non-invasively by the application of Patlak plot graphical analysis. Quantitative rCBF images were obtained from SPECT image using global CBF values, regional/global count ratios, and Lassen's linearization correction algorithm. Difference of regional CBF between CHF and normal control were assessed using a SPM99 without global count normalization (uncorrected p<0.0001, extent threshold>100 voxels). Global CBF (41.54.7 ml/min/100g) of the patients with CHF were significantly lower than those (49.15.7 ml/min/100g) of controls (p<0.001). Regional CBF was significantly decreased in frontal, temporal and parietal neocortex of both cerebral hemispheres compared to normal controls. Regional rCBF of basal ganglia, thalamus, and brain stem were preserved, even though global CBF was variably compromised. Our study show that global CBF is significantly decreased in CHF and regional CBF of frontal, parietal and temporal neocortex is compromised preferentially. Further studies would be needed to investigate the relationship of rCBF change and cognitive impairment in patients with CHF.

Characterization of nodal/TGF-lefty signaling pathway gene variants for possible roles in congenital heart diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xia Deng

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Nodal/TGF-Lefty signaling pathway has important effects at early stages of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in directing them to differentiate into different embryonic lineages. LEFTY, one of transforming growth factors in the Nodal/TGF-Lefty signaling pathway, plays an important role in the development of heart. The aim of this work was to find evidence on whether Lefty variations are associated with congenital heart diseases (CHD. METHODS: We sequenced the Lefty gene for 230 Chinese Han CHD patients and evaluated SNPs rs2295418, rs360057 and g.G169A, which are located within the translated regions of the genes. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 13.0. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test of the population was carried out using online software OEGE, and multiple-sequence alignments of LEFTY proteins were carried out using the Vector NTI software. RESULTS: Two heterozygous variants in Lefty1 gene, g.G169A and g.A1035C, and one heterozygous variant in Lefty2 gene, g.C925A, were identified. Statistical analyses showed that the rs2295418 (g.C925A variant in Lefty2 gene was obviously associated with the risk of CHD (P value = 0.0160.05. CONCLUSIONS: The SNP rs2295418 in the Lefty2 gene is associated with CHD in Chinese Han populations.

Building the nodal nuclear data dependences in a many-dimensional state-variable space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufek, Jan

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The Abstract and Introduction are revised to reflect reviewers' comments. → Section is revised and simplified. → The third paragraph in Section is revised. → All typos are fixed. - Abstract: We present new methods for building the polynomial-regression based nodal nuclear data models. The data models can reflect dependences on a large number of state variables, and they can consider various history effects. Suitable multivariate polynomials that approximate the nodal data dependences are identified efficiently in an iterative manner. The history effects are analysed using a new sampling scheme for lattice calculations where the traditional base burnup and branch calculations are replaced by a large number of diverse burnup histories. The total number of lattice calculations is controlled so that the data models are built to a required accuracy.

Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Mimicking Nodal Metastasis in Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Marc Gregory; Atun, Jenny Maureen

2016-01-01

Tuberculous (TB) lymphadenitis can mimic cervical node metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) since the distribution and appearance of affected lymph nodes are similar. We present the case of an asymptomatic 50-year-old Filipino who sought consult for a gradually enlarging anterior neck mass and a single palpable cervical lymph node. Preoperative workup suggested a thyroid malignancy with nodal metastasis. He underwent total thyroidectomy with node dissection where histopathology confirmed follicular variant- (FV-) PTC. Lymph node examination, however, revealed TB lymphadenitis, and the patient was given standard antimycobacterial therapy. This is the first documented case in Southeast Asia, a high TB burden region. This is also the first report involving FV-PTC, which has features between those of conventional PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma. The case suggests that, in endemic areas, TB should be a differential in the etiology of cervical lymphadenopathy in PTC patients. In developed countries, this differential diagnosis is also valuable because of the increasing incidence of HIV and TB coinfection. Proper preoperative evaluation is important and needs to be highlighted in the formulation of local guidelines.

Unbounded planar domains whose second nodal line does not touch the boundary

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Freitas, P.; Krejčiřík, David

2007-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 1 (2007), s. 107-111 ISSN 1073-2780 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC06002 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10480505 Keywords : Dirichlet Laplacian * eigenfunctions * nodal line Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.702, year: 2007

The effects of pruning and nodal adventitious roots on polychlorinated biphenyl uptake by Cucurbita pepo grown in field conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Low, Jennifer E.; Whitfield Aslund, Melissa L. [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, PO Box 17000 Station Forces, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4 (Canada); Rutter, Allison [School of Environmental Studies, Rm 0626 Biosciences Complex, Queen' s University, 116 Barrie St., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 (Canada); Zeeb, Barbara A., E-mail: zeeb-b@rmc.ca [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, PO Box 17000 Station Forces, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4 (Canada)

2011-03-15

Two cultivation techniques (i-pruning and ii-nodal adventitious root encouragement) were investigated for their ability to increase PCB phytoextraction by Cucurbita pepo ssp pepo cv. Howden (pumpkin) plants in situ at a contaminated industrial site in Ontario (Aroclor 1248, mean soil [PCB] = 5.6 {mu}g g{sup -1}). Pruning was implemented to increase plant biomass close to the root where PCB concentration is known to be highest. This treatment was found to have no effect on final shoot biomass or PCB concentration. However, material pruned from the plant is not included in the final shoot biomass. The encouragement of nodal adventitious roots at stem nodes did significantly increase the PCB concentration in the primary stem, while not affecting shoot biomass. Both techniques are easily applied cultivation practices that may be implemented to decrease phytoextraction treatment time. - Research highlights: > Presence of nodal adventitious roots do increase phytoextraction efficiency. > Pruning may increase the biomass of pumpkin plants during phytoextraction. > [Aroclor 1248] decreases in plant tissue with increasing distance from the root. - The application of cultivation practices (pruning and nodal adventitious root encouragement) increases phytoextraction of PCBs in C. pepo.

The effects of pruning and nodal adventitious roots on polychlorinated biphenyl uptake by Cucurbita pepo grown in field conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low, Jennifer E.; Whitfield Aslund, Melissa L.; Rutter, Allison; Zeeb, Barbara A.

2011-01-01

Two cultivation techniques (i-pruning and ii-nodal adventitious root encouragement) were investigated for their ability to increase PCB phytoextraction by Cucurbita pepo ssp pepo cv. Howden (pumpkin) plants in situ at a contaminated industrial site in Ontario (Aroclor 1248, mean soil [PCB] = 5.6 μg g -1 ). Pruning was implemented to increase plant biomass close to the root where PCB concentration is known to be highest. This treatment was found to have no effect on final shoot biomass or PCB concentration. However, material pruned from the plant is not included in the final shoot biomass. The encouragement of nodal adventitious roots at stem nodes did significantly increase the PCB concentration in the primary stem, while not affecting shoot biomass. Both techniques are easily applied cultivation practices that may be implemented to decrease phytoextraction treatment time. - Research highlights: → Presence of nodal adventitious roots do increase phytoextraction efficiency. → Pruning may increase the biomass of pumpkin plants during phytoextraction. → [Aroclor 1248] decreases in plant tissue with increasing distance from the root. - The application of cultivation practices (pruning and nodal adventitious root encouragement) increases phytoextraction of PCBs in C. pepo.

Three- and four-noded planar elements using absolute nodal coordinate formulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olshevskiy, Alexander; Dmitrochenko, Oleg; Kim, Changwan

2013-01-01

This paper investigates two new types of planar finite elements containing three and four nodes. These elements are the reduced forms of the spatial plate elements employing the absolute nodal coordinate approach. Elements of the first type use translations of nodes and global slopes as nodal coordinates and have 18 and 24 degrees of freedom. The slopes facilitate the prevention of the shear locking effect in bending problems. Furthermore, the slopes accurately describe the deformed shape of the elements. Triangular and quadrilateral elements of the second type use translational degrees of freedom only and, therefore, can be utilized successfully in problems without bending. These simple elements with 6 and 8 degrees of freedom are identical to the elements used in conventional formulation of the finite element method from the kinematical point of view. Similarly to the famous problem called “flying spaghetti” which is used often as a benchmark for beam elements, a kind of “flying lasagna” is simulated for the planar elements. Numerical results of simulations are presented.

Two-dimensional semi-analytic nodal method for multigroup pin power reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seung Gyou, Baek; Han Gyu, Joo; Un Chul, Lee

2007-01-01

A pin power reconstruction method applicable to multigroup problems involving square fuel assemblies is presented. The method is based on a two-dimensional semi-analytic nodal solution which consists of eight exponential terms and 13 polynomial terms. The 13 polynomial terms represent the particular solution obtained under the condition of a 2-dimensional 13 term source expansion. In order to achieve better approximation of the source distribution, the least square fitting method is employed. The 8 exponential terms represent a part of the analytically obtained homogeneous solution and the 8 coefficients are determined by imposing constraints on the 4 surface average currents and 4 corner point fluxes. The surface average currents determined from a transverse-integrated nodal solution are used directly whereas the corner point fluxes are determined during the course of the reconstruction by employing an iterative scheme that would realize the corner point balance condition. The outgoing current based corner point flux determination scheme is newly introduced. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated with the L336C5 benchmark problem. (authors)

Numerical solution of the Neutron Transport Equation using discontinuous nodal methods at X-Y geometry; Solucion numerica de la ecuacion de transporte de neutrones usando metodos nodales discontinuos en geometria X-Y

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delfin L, A

1997-12-31

The purpose of this work is to solve the neutron transport equation in discrete-ordinates and X-Y geometry by developing and using the strong discontinuous and strong modified discontinuous nodal finite element schemes. The strong discontinuous and modified strong discontinuous nodal finite element schemes go from two to ten interpolation parameters per cell. They are describing giving a set D{sub c} and polynomial space S{sub c} corresponding for each scheme BDMO, RTO, BL, BDM1, HdV, BDFM1, RT1, BQ and BDM2. The solution is obtained solving the neutron transport equation moments for each nodal scheme by developing the basis functions defined by Pascal triangle and the Legendre moments giving in the polynomial space S{sub c} and, finally, looking for the non singularity of the resulting linear system. The linear system is numerically solved using a computer program for each scheme mentioned . It uses the LU method and forward and backward substitution and makes a partition of the domain in cells. The source terms and angular flux are calculated, using the directions and weights associated to the S{sub N} approximation and solving the angular flux moments to find the effective multiplication constant. The programs are written in Fortran language, using the dynamic allocation of memory to increase efficiently the available memory of the computing equipment. (Author).

SU-F-J-123: CT-Based Determination of DIBH Variability and Its Dosimetric Impact On Post-Mastectomy Plus Regional Nodal Radiation Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malin, M; Kang, H; Tatebe, K; Hasan, Y; Chmura, S; Al-Hallaq, H [The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Breast cancer radiotherapy delivered using voluntary deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) requires reproducible breath holds, particularly when matching supraclavicular fields to tangential fields. We studied the impact of variation in DIBHs on CTV and OAR dose metrics by comparing the dose distribution computed on two DIBH CT scans taken at the time of simulation. Methods: Ten patients receiving 50Gy in 25 fractions to the left chestwall and regional lymph nodes were studied. Two simulation CT scans were taken during separate DIBHs along with a free-breathing (FB) scan. The treatment was planned using one DIBH CT. The dose was recomputed on the other two scans using adaptive planning (Pinnacle 9.10) in which the scans are registered using a cross-correlation algorithm. The chestwall, lymph nodes and OARs were contoured on the scans following the RTOG consensus guidelines. The overall translational and rotational variation between the DIBH scans was used to estimate positional variation between breath-holds. Dose metrics between plans were compared using paired t-tests (p < 0.05) and means and standard deviations were reported. Results: The registration parameters were sub-millimeter and sub-degree. Although DIBH significantly reduced mean heart dose by 2.4Gy compared to FB (p < 0.01), no significant changes in dose were observed for targets or OARs between the two DIBH scans. Nodal coverage as assessed by V90% was 90%±8% and 89%±8% for supraclavicular and 99%±2% and 97%±22% for IM nodes. Though a significant decrease (10.5%±12.4%) in lung volume in the second DIBH CT was observed, the lung V20Gy was unchanged (14±2% and 14±3%) between the two DIBH scans. Conclusion: While the lung volume often varied between DIBHs, the CTV and OAR dose metrics were largely unchanged. This indicates that manual DIBH has the potential to provide consistent dose delivery to the chestwall and regional nodes targets when using matched fields.

A nodal method applied to a diffusion problem with generalized coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laazizi, A.; Guessous, N.

1999-01-01

In this paper, we consider second order neutrons diffusion problem with coefficients in L ∞ (Ω). Nodal method of the lowest order is applied to approximate the problem's solution. The approximation uses special basis functions in which the coefficients appear. The rate of convergence obtained is O(h 2 ) in L 2 (Ω), with a free rectangular triangulation. (authors)

A difference-equation formalism for the nodal domains of separable billiards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manjunath, Naren; Samajdar, Rhine [Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Jain, Sudhir R., E-mail: srjain@barc.gov.in [Nuclear Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

2016-09-15

Recently, the nodal domain counts of planar, integrable billiards with Dirichlet boundary conditions were shown to satisfy certain difference equations in Samajdar and Jain (2014). The exact solutions of these equations give the number of domains explicitly. For complete generality, we demonstrate this novel formulation for three additional separable systems and thus extend the statement to all integrable billiards.

Node-positive cervical cancer: impact of pelvic irradiation and patterns of failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stock, Richard G.; Chen, Alex S. J.; Flickinger, John C.; Kalnicki, Shalom; Seski, Jan

1995-01-01

Purpose: The roles of postoperative pelvic and prophylactic paraaortic irradiation in pelvic node positive cervical cancer are currently controversial. A retrospective study was undertaken to examine the effect of pelvic irradiation on pelvic control and survival and to analyze the patterns of recurrence to determine whether indications exist for prophylactic paraaortic irradiation. Methods and Materials: From 1964 to 1991, 143 cases of FIGO Stage I and II cervical cancer undergoing exploratory laparotomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, and radical hysterectomy had positive pelvic lymph nodes. Postoperatively, 108 cases were treated with whole pelvic irradiation while 35 patients were observed. Prophylactic paraaortic irradiation was not given. Results: Patients who received postoperative whole pelvic irradiation compared with those treated with radical hysterectomy alone had a significantly improved pelvic control rate, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival. The 5-year actuarial pelvic control rate was 78% vs. 45% (p = <0.0001), respectively. The 5-year actuarial DFS was 65% vs. 41% (p = 0.0004). The 5-year actuarial overall survival was 58% vs. 46% (p 0.02). In multivariate analysis, pelvic irradiation continued to show a positive effect on DFS (p = 0.0001) and overall survival (p = 0.0035). Lymphatic invasion and the total number of positive lymph nodes were the only other independent predictors of overall survival and DFS. The actuarial 5-year pelvic, paraaortic, and distant failure rates were 30%, 10%, and 28%, respectively. An isolated first recurrence in the paraaortic nodes occurred in only three cases. Conclusion: Postoperative pelvic irradiation significantly improves pelvic control, DFS, and overall survival, and should be used in patients with early stage cervical cancer and pathologically proven pelvic nodal metastases. The low incidence of isolated paraaortic nodal failure calls into question the value of routine prophylactic paraaortic

Node-positive cervical cancer: impact of pelvic irradiation and patterns of failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stock, Richard G; Chen, Alex S. J.; Flickinger, John C; Kalnicki, Shalom; Seski, Jan

1995-01-01

Purpose: The roles of postoperative pelvic and prophylactic paraaortic irradiation in pelvic node positive cervical cancer are currently controversial. A retrospective study was undertaken to examine the effect of pelvic irradiation on pelvic control and survival and to analyze the patterns of recurrence to determine whether indications exist for prophylactic paraaortic irradiation. Methods and Materials: From 1964 to 1991, 143 cases of FIGO Stage I and II cervical cancer undergoing exploratory laparotomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, and radical hysterectomy had positive pelvic lymph nodes. Postoperatively, 108 cases were treated with whole pelvic irradiation while 35 patients were observed. Prophylactic paraaortic irradiation was not given. Results: Patients who received postoperative whole pelvic irradiation compared with those treated with radical hysterectomy alone had a significantly improved pelvic control rate, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival. The 5-year actuarial pelvic control rate was 78% vs. 45% (p = <0.0001), respectively. The 5-year actuarial DFS was 65% vs. 41% (p = 0.0004). The 5-year actuarial overall survival was 58% vs. 46% (p 0.02). In multivariate analysis, pelvic irradiation continued to show a positive effect on DFS (p = 0.0001) and overall survival (p = 0.0035). Lymphatic invasion and the total number of positive lymph nodes were the only other independent predictors of overall survival and DFS. The actuarial 5-year pelvic, paraaortic, and distant failure rates were 30%, 10%, and 28%, respectively. An isolated first recurrence in the paraaortic nodes occurred in only three cases. Conclusion: Postoperative pelvic irradiation significantly improves pelvic control, DFS, and overall survival, and should be used in patients with early stage cervical cancer and pathologically proven pelvic nodal metastases. The low incidence of isolated paraaortic nodal failure calls into question the value of routine prophylactic paraaortic

Can neck irradiation be an alternative to neck dissection in early stage carcinoma oral tongue operated for primary alone? Experience from a single institute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sushmita Ghoshal

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To study pattern of failure, locoregional control rates (LCR and disease free survival (DFS in post-operative patients of carcinoma oral tongue, and to study the impact of nodal dissection on DFS in stage I and II patients.Methods: 102 patients of carcinoma oral tongue treated between January 2009 and December 2013 were analyzed. All patients were operated for primary disease, but neck dissection was done in 78 (76.5% patients only. However, radiation to primary site along with neck region was received by all patients. Pattern of failure, LCR and DFS were estimated.Results: At median follow up of 12 months, 10.8% patients failed locally, 10.8% in nodal region, 2.9% both at local and nodal site, and 5.9% patients failed distally. 2 year LCR and DFS was 71.2%, 90.9%, 79.5%, 0% and 55.2%, 64.4%, 57.8%, 0% in stage I, II, III, IV respectively. 2 year DFS in stage I patients, who underwent nodal dissection and post-operative radiation (14 patients was 64.3% and in whom only neck irradiation was done (15 patients, it was 45.8%, however difference was not significant (p = 0.5. But in stage II patients, 33 patients who underwent nodal dissection and post-operative radiation, 2 year DFS was 85.4% and it was 21.4% in 7 patients who underwent neck radiation only, and difference showed trend towards significance (p = 0.05. 2 or more positive lymph nodes post dissection was the only poor prognostic factor that correlated with DFS (p = 0.02Conclusion: While in stage I, neck irradiation alone can be a possible alternative to neck dissection and post-operative radiation; for stage II, neck dissection is mandatory.

Neutron transport in hexagonal reactor cores modeled by trigonal-geometry diffusion and simplified P{sub 3} nodal methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duerigen, Susan

2013-05-15

The superior advantage of a nodal method for reactor cores with hexagonal fuel assemblies discretized as cells consisting of equilateral triangles is its mesh refinement capability. In this thesis, a diffusion and a simplified P{sub 3} (or SP{sub 3}) neutron transport nodal method are developed based on trigonal geometry. Both models are implemented in the reactor dynamics code DYN3D. As yet, no other well-established nodal core analysis code comprises an SP{sub 3} transport theory model based on trigonal meshes. The development of two methods based on different neutron transport approximations but using identical underlying spatial trigonal discretization allows a profound comparative analysis of both methods with regard to their mathematical derivations, nodal expansion approaches, solution procedures, and their physical performance. The developed nodal approaches can be regarded as a hybrid NEM/AFEN form. They are based on the transverse-integration procedure, which renders them computationally efficient, and they use a combination of polynomial and exponential functions to represent the neutron flux moments of the SP{sub 3} and diffusion equations, which guarantees high accuracy. The SP{sub 3} equations are derived in within-group form thus being of diffusion type. On this basis, the conventional diffusion solver structure can be retained also for the solution of the SP{sub 3} transport problem. The verification analysis provides proof of the methodological reliability of both trigonal DYN3D models. By means of diverse hexagonal academic benchmark and realistic detailed-geometry full-transport-theory problems, the superiority of the SP{sub 3} transport over the diffusion model is demonstrated in cases with pronounced anisotropy effects, which is, e.g., highly relevant to the modeling of fuel assemblies comprising absorber material.

Patterns of failure following curative resection of gastric carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landry, J.; Tepper, J.E.; Wood, W.C.; Moulton, E.O.; Koerner, F.; Sullinger, J. (Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston (USA))

1990-12-01

To identify patterns of failure following curative resection of gastric carcinoma, the records of 130 patients undergoing resection with curative intent at the Massachusetts General Hospital were reviewed. The total local-regional failure rate was 38% (49/130 patients), with 21 patients having local-regional failure alone and 28 patients having local-regional failure and distant metastases. The incidence of local failure rose with the more advanced stages of disease. Tumors staged B2, B3, C2, and C3 had local-regional failure rates in excess of 35%. This group of patients might benefit from adjuvant radiation therapy to the tumor bed and regional lymphatics. Local-regional failure rate was highest in the anastomosis or stump 33/130 (25%), followed by the stomach bed 27/130 (21%). The overall incidence of distant metastases was 52% (67/130 patients) and rose in the more advanced disease stages. Tumors staged B2, B3, C2, and C3 had rates of distant metastases greater than 50%. Sixty-one patients (77%) had failure in the abdomen (liver, peritoneal surface, adrenal, kidney, and spleen, but excluding tumor bed, anastomosis, or regional nodes). Patients with Stage B2, B3, C2, and C3 tumors had total abdominal failure rates greater than 40%. The highest failure rates in the liver were in Stages B3 and C3, in which the subsequent development of liver metastasis was 40% and 47%, respectively. Peritoneal seeding occurred in 30/130 (23%) of patients and was highest in Stages C2 and C3, with rates of 27% and 41%, respectively.

Patterns of failure following curative resection of gastric carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landry, J.; Tepper, J.E.; Wood, W.C.; Moulton, E.O.; Koerner, F.; Sullinger, J.

1990-01-01

To identify patterns of failure following curative resection of gastric carcinoma, the records of 130 patients undergoing resection with curative intent at the Massachusetts General Hospital were reviewed. The total local-regional failure rate was 38% (49/130 patients), with 21 patients having local-regional failure alone and 28 patients having local-regional failure and distant metastases. The incidence of local failure rose with the more advanced stages of disease. Tumors staged B2, B3, C2, and C3 had local-regional failure rates in excess of 35%. This group of patients might benefit from adjuvant radiation therapy to the tumor bed and regional lymphatics. Local-regional failure rate was highest in the anastomosis or stump 33/130 (25%), followed by the stomach bed 27/130 (21%). The overall incidence of distant metastases was 52% (67/130 patients) and rose in the more advanced disease stages. Tumors staged B2, B3, C2, and C3 had rates of distant metastases greater than 50%. Sixty-one patients (77%) had failure in the abdomen (liver, peritoneal surface, adrenal, kidney, and spleen, but excluding tumor bed, anastomosis, or regional nodes). Patients with Stage B2, B3, C2, and C3 tumors had total abdominal failure rates greater than 40%. The highest failure rates in the liver were in Stages B3 and C3, in which the subsequent development of liver metastasis was 40% and 47%, respectively. Peritoneal seeding occurred in 30/130 (23%) of patients and was highest in Stages C2 and C3, with rates of 27% and 41%, respectively

Identification of nodal tissue in the living heart using rapid scanning fiber-optics confocal microscopy and extracellular fluorophores.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chao; Kaza, Aditya K; Hitchcock, Robert W; Sachse, Frank B

2013-09-01

Risks associated with pediatric reconstructive heart surgery include injury of the sinoatrial node (SAN) and atrioventricular node (AVN), requiring cardiac rhythm management using implantable pacemakers. These injuries are the result of difficulties in identifying nodal tissues intraoperatively. Here we describe an approach based on confocal microscopy and extracellular fluorophores to quantify tissue microstructure and identify nodal tissue. Using conventional 3-dimensional confocal microscopy we investigated the microstructural arrangement of SAN, AVN, and atrial working myocardium (AWM) in fixed rat heart. AWM exhibited a regular striated arrangement of the extracellular space. In contrast, SAN and AVN had an irregular, reticulated arrangement. AWM, SAN, and AVN tissues were beneath a thin surface layer of tissue that did not obstruct confocal microscopic imaging. Subsequently, we imaged tissues in living rat hearts with real-time fiber-optics confocal microscopy. Fiber-optics confocal microscopy images resembled images acquired with conventional confocal microscopy. We investigated spatial regularity of tissue microstructure from Fourier analysis and second-order image moments. Fourier analysis of fiber-optics confocal microscopy images showed that the spatial regularity of AWM was greater than that of nodal tissues (37.5 ± 5.0% versus 24.3 ± 3.9% for SAN and 23.8 ± 3.7% for AVN; Pfiber-optics confocal microscopy. Application of the approach in pediatric reconstructive heart surgery may reduce risks of injuring nodal tissues.

Nodal aberration theory applied to freeform surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Fuerschbach, Kyle; Rolland, Jannick P.; Thompson, Kevin P.

2014-12-01

When new three-dimensional packages are developed for imaging optical systems, the rotational symmetry of the optical system is often broken, changing its imaging behavior and making the optical performance worse. A method to restore the performance is to use freeform optical surfaces that compensate directly the aberrations introduced from tilting and decentering the optical surfaces. In order to effectively optimize the shape of a freeform surface to restore optical functionality, it is helpful to understand the aberration effect the surface may induce. Using nodal aberration theory the aberration fields induced by a freeform surface in an optical system are explored. These theoretical predications are experimentally validated with the design and implementation of an aberration generating telescope.

Histologic Subtype in Core Lung Biopsies of Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma is a Prognostic Factor for Treatment Response and Failure Patterns After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

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Leeman, Jonathan E.; Rimner, Andreas [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Montecalvo, Joseph [Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Hsu, Meier; Zhang, Zhigang [Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Reibnitz, Donata von; Panchoo, Kelly [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Yorke, Ellen [Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Adusumilli, Prasad S. [Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Travis, William [Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Wu, Abraham J., E-mail: wua@mskcc.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States)

2017-01-01

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as an effective treatment for early-stage lung cancer. The histologic subtype of surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma is recognized as a prognostic factor, with the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns predicting poor outcomes. We describe the outcomes after SBRT for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma stratified by histologic subtype. Methods and Materials: We identified 119 consecutive patients (124 lesions) with stage I to IIA lung adenocarcinoma who had undergone definitive SBRT at our institution from August 2008 to August 2015 and had undergone core biopsy. Histologic subtyping was performed according to the 2015 World Health Organization classification. Of the 124 tumors, 37 (30%) were a high-risk subtype, defined as containing a component of solid and/or micropapillary pattern. The cumulative incidences of local, nodal, regional, and distant failure were compared between the high-risk and non–high-risk adenocarcinoma subtypes using Gray's test, and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated from propensity score–weighted Cox regression models. Results: The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 17 months and for surviving patients was 21 months. The 1-year cumulative incidence of and adjusted HR for local, nodal, regional, and distant failure in high-risk versus non–high-risk lesions was 7.3% versus 2.7% (HR 16.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5-81.4), 14.8% versus 2.6% (HR 3.8; 95% CI 0.95-15.0), 4.0% versus 1.2% (HR 20.9; 95% CI 2.3-192.3), and 22.7% versus 3.6% (HR 6.9; 95% CI 2.2-21.1), respectively. No significant difference was seen with regard to overall survival. Conclusions: The outcomes after SBRT for early-stage adenocarcinoma of the lung correlate highly with histologic subtype, with micropapillary and solid tumors portending significantly higher rates of locoregional and metastatic progression. In this context, the histologic subtype

The correction of pebble bed reactor nodal cross sections for the effects of leakage and depletion history

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Nathanael Harrison

An accurate and computationally fast method to generate nodal cross sections for the Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) was presented. In this method, named Spectral History Correction (SHC), a set of fine group microscopic cross section libraries, pre-computed at specified depletion and moderation states, was coupled with the nodal nuclide densities and group bucklings to compute the new fine group spectrum for each node. The relevant fine group cross-section library was then recollapsed to the local broad group cross-section structure with this new fine group spectrum. This library set was tracked in terms of fuel isotopic densities. Fine group modulation factors (to correct the homogeneous flux for heterogeneous effects) and fission spectra were also stored with the cross section library. As the PBR simulation converges to a steady state fuel cycle, the initial nodal cross section library becomes inaccurate due to the burnup of the fuel and the neutron leakage into and out of the node. Because of the recirculation of discharged fuel pebbles with fresh fuel pebbles, a node can consist of a collection of pebbles at various burnup stages. To account for the nodal burnup, the microscopic cross sections were combined with nodal averaged atom densities to approximate the fine group macroscopic cross-sections for that node. These constructed, homogeneous macroscopic cross sections within the node were used to calculate a numerical solution for the fine group spectrum with B1 theory. This new fine spectrum was used to collapse the pre-computed microscopic cross section library to the broad group structure employed by the fuel cycle code. This SHC technique was developed and practically implemented as a subroutine within the PBR fuel cycle code PEBBED. The SHC subroutine was called to recalculate the broad group cross sections during the code convergence. The result was a fast method that compared favorably to the benchmark scheme of cross section calculation with the lattice

A Phase II Comparative Study of Gross Tumor Volume Definition With or Without PET/CT Fusion in Dosimetric Planning for Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Primary Analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0515

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, Jeffrey; Bae, Kyounghwa; Choi, Noah; Forster, Ken; Siegel, Barry A.; Brunetti, Jacqueline; Purdy, James; Faria, Sergio; Vu, Toni; Thorstad, Wade; Choy, Hak

2012-01-01

Background: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0515 is a Phase II prospective trial designed to quantify the impact of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) compared with CT alone on radiation treatment plans (RTPs) and to determine the rate of elective nodal failure for PET/CT-derived volumes. Methods: Each enrolled patient underwent definitive radiation therapy for non–small-cell lung cancer (≥60 Gy) and had two RTP datasets generated: gross tumor volume (GTV) derived with CT alone and with PET/CT. Patients received treatment using the PET/CT-derived plan. The primary end point, the impact of PET/CT fusion on treatment plans was measured by differences of the following variables for each patient: GTV, number of involved nodes, nodal station, mean lung dose (MLD), volume of lung exceeding 20 Gy (V20), and mean esophageal dose (MED). Regional failure rate was a secondary end point. The nonparametric Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test was used with Bonferroni adjustment for an overall significance level of 0.05. Results: RTOG 0515 accrued 52 patients, 47 of whom are evaluable. The follow-up time for all patients is 12.9 months (2.7–22.2). Tumor staging was as follows: II = 6%; IIIA = 40%; and IIIB = 54%. The GTV was statistically significantly smaller for PET/CT-derived volumes (98.7 vs. 86.2 mL; p < 0.0001). MLDs for PET/CT plans were slightly lower (19 vs. 17.8 Gy; p = 0.06). There was no significant difference in the number of involved nodes (2.1 vs. 2.4), V20 (32% vs. 30.8%), or MED (28.7 vs. 27.1 Gy). Nodal contours were altered by PET/CT for 51% of patients. One patient (2%) has developed an elective nodal failure. Conclusions: PET/CT-derived tumor volumes were smaller than those derived by CT alone. PET/CT changed nodal GTV contours in 51% of patients. The elective nodal failure rate for GTVs derived by PET/CT is quite low, supporting the RTOG standard of limiting the target volume to the primary tumor and involved nodes.

A Nodal and Finite Difference Hybrid Method for Pin-by-Pin Heterogeneous Three-Dimensional Light Water Reactor Diffusion Calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Deokjung; Downar, Thomas J.; Kim, Yonghee

2004-01-01

An innovative hybrid spatial discretization method is proposed to improve the computational efficiency of pin-wise heterogeneous three-dimensional light water reactor (LWR) core neutronics analysis. The newly developed method employs the standard finite difference method in the x and y directions and the well-known nodal methods [nodal expansion method (NEM) and analytic nodal method (ANM) as needed] in the z direction. Four variants of the hybrid method are investigated depending on the axial nodal methodologies: HYBRID A, NEM with the conventional quadratic transverse leakage; HYBRID B, the conventional NEM method except that the transverse-leakage shapes are obtained from a fine-mesh local problem (FMLP) around the control rod tip; HYBRID C, the same as HYBRID B except that ANM with a high-order transverse leakage obtained from the FMLP is used in the vicinity of the control rod tip; and HYBRID D, the same as HYBRID C except that the transverse leakage is determined using the buckling approximation instead of the FMLP around the control rod tip. Benchmark calculations demonstrate that all the hybrid algorithms are consistent and stable and that the HYBRID C method provides the best numerical performance in the case of rodded LWR problems with pin-wise homogenized cross sections

Wielandt method applied to the diffusion equations discretized by finite element nodal methods; Metodo de Wielandt aplicado a las ecuaciones de difusion discretizadas por metodos nodales de elemento finito

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mugica R, A.; Valle G, E. del [IPN, ESFM, 07738 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)]. e-mail: mugica@esfm.ipn.mx

2003-07-01

Nowadays the numerical methods of solution to the diffusion equation by means of algorithms and computer programs result so extensive due to the great number of routines and calculations that should carry out, this rebounds directly in the execution times of this programs, being obtained results in relatively long times. This work shows the application of an acceleration method of the convergence of the classic method of those powers that it reduces notably the number of necessary iterations for to obtain reliable results, what means that the compute times they see reduced in great measure. This method is known in the literature like Wielandt method and it has incorporated to a computer program that is based on the discretization of the neutron diffusion equations in plate geometry and stationary state by polynomial nodal methods. In this work the neutron diffusion equations are described for several energy groups and their discretization by means of those called physical nodal methods, being illustrated in particular the quadratic case. It is described a model problem widely described in the literature which is solved for the physical nodal grade schemes 1, 2, 3 and 4 in three different ways: to) with the classic method of the powers, b) method of the powers with the Wielandt acceleration and c) method of the powers with the Wielandt modified acceleration. The results for the model problem as well as for two additional problems known as benchmark problems are reported. Such acceleration method can also be implemented to problems of different geometry to the proposal in this work, besides being possible to extend their application to problems in 2 or 3 dimensions. (Author)

Systematic assembly homogenization and local flux reconstruction for nodal method calculations of fast reactor power distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorning, J.J.

1991-01-01

A simultaneous pin lattice cell and fuel bundle homogenization theory has been developed for use with nodal diffusion calculations of practical reactors. The theoretical development of the homogenization theory, which is based on multiple-scales asymptotic expansion methods carried out through fourth order in a small parameter, starts from the transport equation and systematically yields: a cell-homogenized bundled diffusion equation with self-consistent expressions for the cell-homogenized cross sections and diffusion tensor elements; and a bundle-homogenized global reactor diffusion equation with self-consistent expressions for the bundle-homogenized cross sections and diffusion tensor elements. The continuity of the angular flux at cell and bundle interfaces also systematically yields jump conditions for the scaler flux or so-called flux discontinuity factors on the cell and bundle interfaces in terms of the two adjacent cell or bundle eigenfunctions. The expressions required for the reconstruction of the angular flux or the 'de-homogenization' theory were obtained as an integral part of the development; hence the leading order transport theory angular flux is easily reconstructed throughout the reactor including the regions in the interior of the fuel bundles or computational nodes and in the interiors of the pin lattice cells. The theoretical development shows that the exact transport theory angular flux is obtained to first order from the whole-reactor nodal diffusion calculations, done using the homogenized nuclear data and discontinuity factors, is a product of three computed quantities: a ''cell shape function''; a ''bundle shape function''; and a ''global shape function''. 10 refs

Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Coexistent Idiopathic Left Ventricular Tachycardia and Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ken-Pen Weng

2005-10-01

Full Text Available A healthy 15-year-old male patient presented with a 6-month history of recurrent attacks of palpitations. On multiple emergency room visits, a sustained wide QRS complex tachycardia with a right bundle branch block and northwest axis deviation was documented. The tachycardia was not terminated by intravenous adenosine, but was suppressed with intravenous verapamil. There was no evidence of structural heart disease, myocarditis, long QT syndrome, or electrolyte imbalance after a series of standard examinations. Idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia (ILVT was suspected. Electrophysiologic studies revealed 2 inducible tachycardias, which were shown to represent atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT and ILVT. Transformation from AVNRT to ILVT occurred spontaneously following atrial pacing. Successful ablation of ILVT and the slow atrioventricular nodal pathway resulted in cure of the double tachycardia.

Atrial activation during atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: studies on retrograde fast pathway conduction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katritsis, Demosthenes G.; Ellenbogen, Kenneth A.; Becker, Anton E.

2006-01-01

Detailed right and left septal mapping of retrograde atrial activation during typical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) has not been undertaken and may provide insight into the complex physiology of AVNRT, especially the anatomic localization of the fast and slow pathways. The

Pelvic Nodal Dosing With Registration to the Prostate: Implications for High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishan, Amar U.; Lamb, James M.; Jani, Shyam S.; Kang, Jung J.; Steinberg, Michael L.; King, Christopher R.

2015-01-01

Purpose: To determine whether image guidance with rigid registration (RR) to intraprostatic markers (IPMs) yields acceptable coverage of the pelvic lymph nodes in the context of a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) regimen. Methods and Materials: Four to seven kilovoltage cone-beam CTs (CBCTs) from 12 patients with high-risk prostate cancer were analyzed, allowing approximation of an SBRT regimen. The nodal clinical target volume (CTV N ) and bladder were contoured on all kilovoltage CBCTs. The V 100 CTV N , expressed as a ratio to the same parameter on the initial plan, and the magnitude of translational shift between RR to the IPMs versus RR to the pelvic bones, were computed. The ability of a multimodality bladder filling protocol to minimize bladder height variation was assessed in a separate cohort of 4 patients. Results: Sixty-five CBCTs were assessed. The average V 100 CTV N was 92.6%, but for a subset of 3 patients the average was 80.0%, compared with 97.8% for the others (P<.0001). The average overall and superior–inferior axis magnitudes of the bony-to-fiducial translations were significantly larger in the subgroup with suboptimal nodal coverage (8.1 vs 3.9 mm and 5.8 vs 2.4 mm, respectively; P<.0001). Relative bladder height changes were also significantly larger in the subgroup with suboptimal nodal coverage (42.9% vs 18.5%; P<.05). Use of a multimodality bladder-filling protocol minimized bladder height variation (P<.001). Conclusion: A majority of patients had acceptable nodal coverage after RR to IPMs, even when approximating SBRT. However, a subset of patients had suboptimal nodal coverage. These patients had large bony-to-fiducial translations and large variations in bladder height. Nodal coverage should be excellent if the superior–inferior axis bony-to-fiducial translation and the relative bladder height change (both easily measured on CBCT) are kept to a minimum. Implementation of a strict bladder filling protocol may achieve this

Exactly solvable spin-1 Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with the second-neighbor interaction between nodal spins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hovhannisyan, V V; Ananikian, N S; Strečka, J

2016-01-01

The spin-1 Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with the second-neighbor interaction between nodal spins is rigorously solved using the transfer-matrix method. In particular, exact results for the ground state, magnetization process and specific heat are presented and discussed. It is shown that further-neighbor interaction between nodal spins gives rise to three novel ground states with a translationally broken symmetry, but at the same time, does not increases the total number of intermediate plateaus in a zero-temperature magnetization curve compared with the simplified model without this interaction term. The zero-field specific heat displays interesting thermal dependencies with a single- or double-peak structure. (paper)

Parameningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma: Outcomes and Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Joanna C. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Wexler, Leonard H.; Meyers, Paul A. [Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Wolden, Suzanne L., E-mail: woldens@mskcc.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States)

2013-01-01

Purpose: To examine patterns of failure in patients with parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma (PM-RMS) treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods and Materials: Forty-seven patients with PM-RMS received chemotherapy and IMRT for definitive treatment. The median age was 9 years (range, 0.5-35 years). The high-risk features were as follows: 40% alveolar histology, 72% group III and 26% group IV disease, 57% either intracranial extension (ICE) (n=25) or cranial neuropathy (n=21). The median time to RT from the start of chemotherapy was 15 weeks (range, 2-54 weeks). Patients received 50.4 Gy in 1.8-Gy fractions to the primary tumor by use of IMRT. Thirteen patients aged {>=}14 years with alveolar histology received 36 Gy prophylactic nodal irradiation (PNI) to bilateral cervical nodes. Events were defined as local, regional (nodal), central nervous system (CNS), or distant failures. Results: With a median follow-up time of 3.3 years (range, 0.5-12.8 years), 18 patients experienced failure: 5 local, 2 regional, 6 distant, and 7 CNS. The 5-year local failure-free survival was 86%. Age, histology, and time to RT did not influence the risk of local failure. The 5-year regional failure-free survival was 92%: 100% for embryonal and 74% for alveolar (P=.03). However, there were no lymph node failures in patients with alveolar histology who were given PNI. The 5-year CNS failure-free survival was 83%: 100% without and 70% with ICE (P=.01); 95% without and 69% with cranial neuropathy (P=.02). The estimated 5-year event-free survival and overall survival were 61% for group III and 58% for group IV patients. Conclusions: Distant failure was the most common type of failure among group IV patients. Patients with alveolar histology seem to benefit from PNI. The presence of ICE or cranial neuropathy portends a high risk of CNS failure, the most common pattern of failure among non-group IV patients. These patients may benefit from the addition of novel CNS

Study on Flexible Pavement Failures in Soft Soil Tropical Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Jayakumar, M.; Chee Soon, Lee

2015-04-01

Road network system experienced rapid upgrowth since ages ago and it started developing in Malaysia during the colonization of British due to its significant impacts in transportation field. Flexible pavement, the major road network in Malaysia, has been deteriorating by various types of distresses which cause descending serviceability of the pavement structure. This paper discusses the pavement condition assessment carried out in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia to have design solutions for flexible pavement failures. Field tests were conducted to examine the subgrade strength of existing roads in Sarawak at various failure locations, to assess the impact of subgrade strength on pavement failures. Research outcomes from field condition assessment and subgrade testing showed that the critical causes of pavement failures are inadequate design and maintenance of drainage system and shoulder cross fall, along with inadequate pavement thickness provided by may be assuming the conservative value of soil strength at optimum moisture content, whereas the exiting and expected subgrade strengths at equilibrium moisture content are far below. Our further research shows that stabilized existing recycled asphalt and base materials to use as a sub-base along with bitumen stabilized open graded base in the pavement composition may be a viable solution for pavement failures.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography?computed tomography in evaluation of pelvic and para-aortic nodal involvement in early stage and operable cervical cancer: Comparison with surgicopathological findings

OpenAIRE

Bansal, Vandana; Damania, Kaizad; Sharma, Anshu Rajnish

2011-01-01

Introduction: Nodal metastases in cervical cancer have prognostic implications. Imaging is used as an adjunct to clinical staging for evaluation of nodal metastases. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has an advantage of superior resolution of its CT component and detecting nodal disease based on increased glycolytic activity rather than node size. But there are limited studies describing its limitations in early stage cervical cancers. Objectiv...

Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Mimicking Nodal Metastasis in Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Gregory Yu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Tuberculous (TB lymphadenitis can mimic cervical node metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC since the distribution and appearance of affected lymph nodes are similar. We present the case of an asymptomatic 50-year-old Filipino who sought consult for a gradually enlarging anterior neck mass and a single palpable cervical lymph node. Preoperative workup suggested a thyroid malignancy with nodal metastasis. He underwent total thyroidectomy with node dissection where histopathology confirmed follicular variant- (FV- PTC. Lymph node examination, however, revealed TB lymphadenitis, and the patient was given standard antimycobacterial therapy. This is the first documented case in Southeast Asia, a high TB burden region. This is also the first report involving FV-PTC, which has features between those of conventional PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma. The case suggests that, in endemic areas, TB should be a differential in the etiology of cervical lymphadenopathy in PTC patients. In developed countries, this differential diagnosis is also valuable because of the increasing incidence of HIV and TB coinfection. Proper preoperative evaluation is important and needs to be highlighted in the formulation of local guidelines.

Three-dimensional static and dynamic reactor calculations by the nodal expansion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, B.

1985-05-01

This report reviews various method for the calculation of the neutron-flux- and power distribution in an nuclear reactor. The nodal expansion method (NEM) is especially described in much detail. The nodal expansion method solves the diffusion equation. In this method the reactor core is divided into nodes, typically 10 to 20 cm in each direction, and the average flux in each node is calculated. To obtain the coupling between the nodes the local flux inside each node is expressed by use of a polynomial expansion. The expansion is one-dimensional, so inside each node such three expansions occur. To calculate the expansion coefficients it is necessary that the polynomial expansion is a solution to the one-dimensional diffusion equation. When the one-dimensional diffusion equation is established a term with the transversal leakage occur, and this term is expanded after the same polynomials. The resulting equation system with the expansion coefficients as the unknowns is solved with weigthed residual technique. The nodal expansion method is built into a computer program (also called NEM), which is divided into two parts, one part for steady-state calculations and one part for dynamic calculations. It is possible to take advantage of symmetry properties of the reactor core. The program is very flexible with regard to the number of energy groups, the node size, the flux expansion order and the transverse leakage expansion order. The boundary of the core is described by albedos. The program and input to it are described. The program is tested on a number of examples extending from small theoretical one up to realistic reactor cores. Many calculations are done on the wellknown IAEA benchmark case. The calculations have tested the accuracy and the computing time for various node sizes and polynomial expansions. In the dynamic examples various strategies for variation of the time step-length have been tested. (author)

Application of a nodal collocation approximation for the multidimensional PL equations to the 3D Takeda benchmark problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capilla, M.; Talavera, C.F.; Ginestar, D.; Verdú, G.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The multidimensional P L approximation to the nuclear transport equation is reviewed. ► A nodal collocation method is developed for the spatial discretization of P L equations. ► Advantages of the method are lower dimension and good characterists of the associated algebraic eigenvalue problem. ► The P L nodal collocation method is implemented into the computer code SHNC. ► The SHNC code is verified with 2D and 3D benchmark eigenvalue problems from Takeda and Ikeda, giving satisfactory results. - Abstract: P L equations are classical approximations to the neutron transport equations, which are obtained expanding the angular neutron flux in terms of spherical harmonics. These approximations are useful to study the behavior of reactor cores with complex fuel assemblies, for the homogenization of nuclear cross-sections, etc., and most of these applications are in three-dimensional (3D) geometries. In this work, we review the multi-dimensional P L equations and describe a nodal collocation method for the spatial discretization of these equations for arbitrary odd order L, which is based on the expansion of the spatial dependence of the fields in terms of orthonormal Legendre polynomials. The performance of the nodal collocation method is studied by means of obtaining the k eff and the stationary power distribution of several 3D benchmark problems. The solutions are obtained are compared with a finite element method and a Monte Carlo method.

Computation of Steady State Nodal Voltages for Fast Security Assessment in Power Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Jakob Glarbo; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Østergaard, Jacob

2014-01-01

Development of a method for real-time assess-ment of post-contingency nodal voltages is introduced. Linear network theory is applied in an algorithm that utilizes Thevenin equivalent representation of power systems as seen from every voltage-controlled node in a network. The method is evaluated b...

STEP- A three-dimensional nodal diffusion code for LMR's

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yeong Il; Kim, Taek Kyum [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

1999-12-01

STEP is a three-dimensional multigroup nodal diffusion code for the neutronics analysis of the LMR core. STEP employs DIF3D and HEXNOD nodal methods. In DIF3D, one-dimensional fluxes are approximated by polynomials while HEXNOD analytically solves transverse-integrated one-dimensional diffusion equations. The nodal equations are solved using a conventional fission source iteration procedure accelerated by coarse-mesh rebalancing and asymptotic extrapolation. At each fission source iteration, the interface currents for each group are computed by solving the response matrix equations with a known group source term. These partial currents are used to updata flux moments. This solution is accomplished by inner iteration, a series of sweeps through the spatial mesh. Inner iterations are performed by sweeping the axial mesh plane in a standard red-black checkerboard ordering, i.e. the odd-numbered planes are processed during the first pass, followed by the even-numbered planes on the second pass. On each plane, the nodes are swept in the four-color checkerboard ordering. STEP accepts microscopic cross section data from the CCCC standard interface file ISOTXS currently used for the neutronics analysis of LMR's at KAERI as well as macroscopic cross section data. Material cross sections are obtained by summing the product of atom densities and microscopic cross sections over all isotopes comprising the material. Energy is released from both fission ad capture. The thermal-hydraulics model calculates average fuel and coolant temperatures. STEP takes account of feedback effects from both fuel temperature and coolant temperature changes. The thermal-hydraulics model is a conservative, single channel model where there is no heat transfer between assemblies. Thus, STEP gives conservative results which, however, are of useful information for core design and can be useful tool for neutronics analysis of LMR core design and will be used for the base program of a future

The Maternal Maverick/GDF15-like TGF-β Ligand Panda Directs Dorsal-Ventral Axis Formation by Restricting Nodal Expression in the Sea Urchin Embryo

Science.gov (United States)

Haillot, Emmanuel; Molina, Maria Dolores; Lapraz, François; Lepage, Thierry

2015-01-01

Specification of the dorsal-ventral axis in the highly regulative sea urchin embryo critically relies on the zygotic expression of nodal, but whether maternal factors provide the initial spatial cue to orient this axis is not known. Although redox gradients have been proposed to entrain the dorsal-ventral axis by acting upstream of nodal, manipulating the activity of redox gradients only has modest consequences, suggesting that other factors are responsible for orienting nodal expression and defining the dorsal-ventral axis. Here we uncover the function of Panda, a maternally provided transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) ligand that requires the activin receptor-like kinases (Alk) Alk3/6 and Alk1/2 receptors to break the radial symmetry of the embryo and orient the dorsal-ventral axis by restricting nodal expression. We found that the double inhibition of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type I receptors Alk3/6 and Alk1/2 causes a phenotype dramatically more severe than the BMP2/4 loss-of-function phenotype, leading to extreme ventralization of the embryo through massive ectopic expression of nodal, suggesting that an unidentified signal acting through BMP type I receptors cooperates with BMP2/4 to restrict nodal expression. We identified this ligand as the product of maternal Panda mRNA. Double inactivation of panda and bmp2/4 led to extreme ventralization, mimicking the phenotype caused by inactivation of the two BMP receptors. Inhibition of maternal panda mRNA translation disrupted the early spatial restriction of nodal, leading to persistent massive ectopic expression of nodal on the dorsal side despite the presence of Lefty. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Panda is not a prototypical BMP ligand but a member of a subfamily of TGF-β distantly related to Inhibins, Lefty, and TGF-β that includes Maverick from Drosophila and GDF15 from vertebrates. Indeed, overexpression of Panda does not appear to directly or strongly activate phosphoSmad1

The Maternal Maverick/GDF15-like TGF-β Ligand Panda Directs Dorsal-Ventral Axis Formation by Restricting Nodal Expression in the Sea Urchin Embryo.

Science.gov (United States)

Haillot, Emmanuel; Molina, Maria Dolores; Lapraz, François; Lepage, Thierry

2015-01-01

Specification of the dorsal-ventral axis in the highly regulative sea urchin embryo critically relies on the zygotic expression of nodal, but whether maternal factors provide the initial spatial cue to orient this axis is not known. Although redox gradients have been proposed to entrain the dorsal-ventral axis by acting upstream of nodal, manipulating the activity of redox gradients only has modest consequences, suggesting that other factors are responsible for orienting nodal expression and defining the dorsal-ventral axis. Here we uncover the function of Panda, a maternally provided transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) ligand that requires the activin receptor-like kinases (Alk) Alk3/6 and Alk1/2 receptors to break the radial symmetry of the embryo and orient the dorsal-ventral axis by restricting nodal expression. We found that the double inhibition of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type I receptors Alk3/6 and Alk1/2 causes a phenotype dramatically more severe than the BMP2/4 loss-of-function phenotype, leading to extreme ventralization of the embryo through massive ectopic expression of nodal, suggesting that an unidentified signal acting through BMP type I receptors cooperates with BMP2/4 to restrict nodal expression. We identified this ligand as the product of maternal Panda mRNA. Double inactivation of panda and bmp2/4 led to extreme ventralization, mimicking the phenotype caused by inactivation of the two BMP receptors. Inhibition of maternal panda mRNA translation disrupted the early spatial restriction of nodal, leading to persistent massive ectopic expression of nodal on the dorsal side despite the presence of Lefty. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Panda is not a prototypical BMP ligand but a member of a subfamily of TGF-β distantly related to Inhibins, Lefty, and TGF-β that includes Maverick from Drosophila and GDF15 from vertebrates. Indeed, overexpression of Panda does not appear to directly or strongly activate phosphoSmad1

HEXAN - a hexagonal nodal code for solving the diffusion equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makai, M.

1982-07-01

This report describes the theory of and provides a user's manual for the HEXAN program, which is a nodal program for the solution of the few-group diffusion equation in hexagonal geometry. Based upon symmetry considerations, the theory provides an analytical solution in a homogeneous node. WWER and HTGR test problem solutions are presented. The equivalence of the finite-difference scheme and the response matrix method is proven. The properties of a symmetric node's response matrix are investigated. (author)

Prophylactic Level VII Nodal Dissection as a Prognostic Factor in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: a Pilot Study of 27 Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Fayek, Ihab Samy

2015-01-01

Prognostic value of prophylactic level VII nodal dissection in papillary thyroid carcinoma has been highlighted. A total of 27 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma with N0 neck underwent total thyroidectomy with level VI and VII nodal dissection through same collar neck incision. Multicentricity, bilaterality, extrathyroidal extension, level VI and VII lymph nodes were studied as separate and independent prognostic factors for DFS at 24 months. 21 females and 6 males with a mean age of 34.6 years old, tumor size was 5-24 mm. (mean 12.4 mm.), multicentricity in 11 patients 2-4 foci (mean 2.7), bilaterality in 8 patients and extrathyroidal extension in 8 patients. Dissected level VI LNs 2-8 (mean 5 LNs) and level VII LNs 1-4 (mean 1.9). Metastatic level VI LNs 0-3 (mean 1) and level VII LNs 0-2 (mean 0.5). Follow-up from 6-51 months (mean 25.6) with 7 patients showed recurrence (3 local and 4 distant). Cumulative DFS at 24 months was 87.8% and was significantly affected in relation to bilaterality (p-valueVII positive ((p-valueVII nodal involvement. Level VII prophylactic nodal dissection is an important and integral prognostic factor in papillary thyroid carcinoma. A larger multicenter study is crucial to reach a satisfactory conclusion about the necessity and safety of this approach.

Numerical solution of the Neutron Transport Equation using discontinuous nodal methods at X-Y geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delfin L, A.

1996-01-01

The purpose of this work is to solve the neutron transport equation in discrete-ordinates and X-Y geometry by developing and using the strong discontinuous and strong modified discontinuous nodal finite element schemes. The strong discontinuous and modified strong discontinuous nodal finite element schemes go from two to ten interpolation parameters per cell. They are describing giving a set D c and polynomial space S c corresponding for each scheme BDMO, RTO, BL, BDM1, HdV, BDFM1, RT1, BQ and BDM2. The solution is obtained solving the neutron transport equation moments for each nodal scheme by developing the basis functions defined by Pascal triangle and the Legendre moments giving in the polynomial space S c and, finally, looking for the non singularity of the resulting linear system. The linear system is numerically solved using a computer program for each scheme mentioned . It uses the LU method and forward and backward substitution and makes a partition of the domain in cells. The source terms and angular flux are calculated, using the directions and weights associated to the S N approximation and solving the angular flux moments to find the effective multiplication constant. The programs are written in Fortran language, using the dynamic allocation of memory to increase efficiently the available memory of the computing equipment. (Author)

A nodal Grean's function method of reactor core fuel management code, NGCFM2D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dongsheng; Yao Dong.

1987-01-01

This paper presents the mathematical model and program structure of the nodal Green's function method of reactor core fuel management code, NGCFM2D. Computing results of some reactor cores by NGCFM2D are analysed and compared with other codes

The nodal discrete-ordinate transport calculation of anisotropy scattering problem in three-dimensional cartesian geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Hongchun; Xie Zhongsheng; Zhu Xuehua

1994-01-01

The nodal discrete-ordinate transport calculating model of anisotropy scattering problem in three-dimensional cartesian geometry is given. The computing code NOTRAN/3D has been encoded and the satisfied conclusion is gained

Nuclear movement regulated by non-Smad Nodal signaling via JNK is associated with Smad signaling during zebrafish endoderm specification.

Science.gov (United States)

Hozumi, Shunya; Aoki, Shun; Kikuchi, Yutaka

2017-11-01

Asymmetric nuclear positioning is observed during animal development, but its regulation and significance in cell differentiation remain poorly understood. Using zebrafish blastulae, we provide evidence that nuclear movement towards the yolk syncytial layer, which comprises extraembryonic tissue, occurs in the first cells fated to differentiate into the endoderm. Nodal signaling is essential for nuclear movement, whereas nuclear envelope proteins are involved in movement through microtubule formation. Positioning of the microtubule-organizing center, which is proposed to be crucial for nuclear movement, is regulated by Nodal signaling and nuclear envelope proteins. The non-Smad JNK signaling pathway, which is downstream of Nodal signaling, regulates nuclear movement independently of the Smad pathway, and this nuclear movement is associated with Smad signal transduction toward the nucleus. Our study provides insight into the function of nuclear movement in Smad signaling toward the nucleus, and could be applied to the control of TGFβ signaling. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Wielandt method applied to the diffusion equations discretized by finite element nodal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)